It Went Pretty Well
by Dreaming-Of-A-Nightmare
Summary: “My heart feels like it’s in the blender along with my brain, now, but otherwise I think it went pretty well.” .:. GaaNaru semi-sequel to 'Dear To Me'. Canonverse for the most part. NOW A THREE-PART FIC. Completed. Also has light SasuSaku in the 3rd part.
1. PART I: To Start Off With

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**A/N: Without realizing it until I decided to re-read 'Dear To Me' (a oneshot I did not too long ago), I kinda-sorta made a sequel to it, LOL. At least, I hinted about what happened in the oneshot and this is a mission involving Suna, which was something I mentioned at the end of the oneshot. *shrug* Whatever.**

**Anyway, enjoy this! It's weird, I know, and _wayverymuch_ longer than I should've/could've/would've been, but oh well! I like it, so hopefully you will, too. XD**

**Oh yeah, I almost forgot: SPOILERS AHOY! D:**

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"Are you positive it's safe to leave him alone with Kazekage-sama?"

Sakura smiled faintly at the strange man with a sheet over half of his face. She winked an eye at him, one of her pointer fingers springing into the air. "If anything, Gaara-sama is safer with Naruto than he is with anyone else in your entire village." Her playfulness faded a tad as she looked to the sky, her eyes clouded with a memory. "You weren't there when Chiyo-baasama and Naruto saved him. You didn't see them say goodbye to each other. But you did notice that when we returned, the only two people carrying Gaara-sama were his brother and Naruto, didn't you? Surely that told you something," Sakura reminded Baki. "So I wouldn't worry about them if I were you. They're closer than you think."

Even the pink-haired medical nin saw the odd relationship the two boys shared. It was an understanding, equal friendship that couldn't be matched. And she respected that.

Baki sighed. "I suppose you're right. Still, I wonder what they'll talk about. Kazekage-sama doesn't speak much."

"No, but a lot has happened to Naruto since they last saw each other," Sakura pointed out, "Which means he'll have plenty to say to fill the silence." Sakura's lips softened into another smile. To her, her blonde best friend was an incredible person. Despite his silly antics and moments lacking in tact, she held a lot of respect for him. After all, he had saved so many lives that he made up for his days of lesser greatness.

xXxXx

Naruto leant against the sandstone wall of Sunagakure with not much interest. He didn't know what he was looking at; all he saw was an endless terrain of sand to the far-off horizon, paired with a too-blue cloudless sky that went on just as far. What the kitsune was more interested in was the person beside him, a fellow shinobi he regarded as one of his most precious people, someone who was a good friend of his due to all that they've been through together… even through the years before they met when they were twelve.

The purpose of Team Kakashi's visit to Suna was a simple one: a pit stop prior to a long journey they have ahead of them. It's one of the last villages for a while, so they decided to rest up and catch up with their allies. It worked especially in Naruto's favor, seeing as how he hasn't spoken to or seen the redheaded Sand leader in more months than he can care to remember (he hadn't been counting).

It was thoughts like those that led him to lick his lips and recall to his friend what had occurred as of late.

"I've accomplished a lot these passed few months, 'ttebayo," Naruto began, his voice low and even as he stared out at nothing. He didn't need to look in Gaara's direction to know that the stoic figure was listening. "I've undergone a lot of training and stuff that I never thought I'd do," he admitted. He glanced over his right shoulder. Gaara's calm profile was angled slightly toward the kitsune, a pupiless turquoise eye peering. Naruto cleared his throat. "For starters, Yamato-taichou took Sakura-chan, Sai, and me on a mission. I swear, that was the most trying mission I've ever done, and one of the biggest ones I regret."

Gaara cocked his head, implying the question, 'why?'

Naruto winced. "In the past, I've had that damn furball's chakra cover me and fuel me for battle. You've seen it, so you know what it looks like; it's that weird orange-red color and usually has this tail-and-ear set on it. My eyes get all red and my nails and canine teeth get long, and it's pretty ugly." He paused as he tore his gaze off of Gaara, whom was listening much more intently. "Well, a couple times now, that cloak got more than one tail. Up to four, to be exact. And when that happens, I don't know, I seem to lose control. I black out, and don't remember any of my actions. On this particular mission, ya see, we saw Orochimaru and Kabuto, and I got so mad since Orochimaru is the person that Sasuke left us for. So, naturally, I got pissed to the point where I went all demon-fox on them. But I went too far, and… and I hurt Sakura-chan. But that's just the beginning! Soon, we get in more messes. Like… I saw Sasuke for the first time in three years."

Gaara frowned. He didn't like the Uchiha, not one bit. Yet he didn't dare tell Naruto to skip over this part of his story; he knew it was important to the blonde, and that the blonde needed to get it off his chest and tell someone other than who was already there.

"He acted so cold to us, Gaara. Poor Sakura-chan was dumbstruck for a really long time; I mean, I was too, but she used to be in love with him! It hurt her and probably made her happy at the same time. I don't know what I felt; I pretty much went numb. I mean, this guy used to be like a bother to me, dattebayo! But now he's just a prick." He stuck his tongue in his cheek, willing himself not to break his jaw from clenching his teeth too hard. "And then he tried to stab me, Gaara. Right here." He indicated his left row of ribs. "Sasuke had this sword I've never seen before, and he tried to use it on me. I was pretty scared; I was so reluctant to fight him that I nearly let myself get hit. If it weren't for Yamato-taichou and his wood jutsu, I might be dead."

He shook his head at himself, not at all noticing the horrorstruck expression running through Gaara's eyes at the idea of Naruto dying.

The blonde continued: "Later, when we came back, some other small stuff happened. But some of the major things were the training Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou started me on and then Asuma-sensei's death. The first thing really tuckered me out; I had to use my clones, but they used up my chakra really quickly. See, Kakashi-sensei figured out that I was of the wind element, and could do wind jutsus; which explains why I'm able to do the Rasengan. Anyway, it was some really intense training that we had to stop for a little bit and then resume. Did you know that I was able to stop the flow of an entire waterfall with my chakra alone? It was so cool! I gotta say, I was pretty pleased with myself. Kage bushin no jutsu really came in handy, ne?"

Gaara nodded, the amazement at Naruto's feat shining temporarily in his eyes. "You're an extraordinary person," he said in a small voice, one of the only things he had said to Naruto all day. "I'm not surprised that you were capable of such a thing."

Naruto beamed. "Hey, thanks, Gaara! That means a lot," he flushed. "Um, anyway, Asuma-sensei's death was really sad. That stupid Akatsuki member – Hidan, I think he name was? I don't care to remember, he makes me that angry – killed him. You know Shikamaru, right? Well, that was his sensei. It really tore him up, 'cause he had to watch Asuma-sensei die. That's really painful. And what's worse? How he died: that freaking Akatsuki guy used this weird jutsu that made it so whenever he hurt himself, it hurt his victim with this unseen force. And the final blow was a freaking scythe to the chest! Man, I would hate that. Being helpless and in pain from something that isn't even being done to your body physically, and yet it kills you anyway. It's those kinds of jutsus out there that truly frighten me, Gaara."

The redhead could understand that; he knew what it felt like to have a rare jutsu used on him. That was how he lost Shukaku, the demon he previously contained inside his body.

Naruto shook his head. "But it got worse. The Akatsuki attacked us. Our village. They swooped in, a whole group of them. Every one of them had these crazy piercing all over their faces with the Akatsuki leader, Pein, at their head. Now that guy seriously ticked me off." Naruto began to shake, his teeth biting down on themselves and his fists in tight balls at his sides, calloused as hard as a rock. His cerulean blue eyes flickered with a fiery red, but didn't remain that way. "He murdered Ero-Sannin. He killed my mentor, one of the few adults I looked up to. I couldn't take it anymore. So I did the impossible: still technically at genin level, I put on some red war paint and summoned the chief toad like he did, and I went Sage on Pein's ass." He smirked, his eyes returning to Gaara with confidence in them and no trace of that burning red in their color. "I felt a different kind of power then, and it was awesome. I wish you could've seen it."

Gaara was tempted to smile; he knew Naruto had it in him to do great things, and something like becoming a Sage was one of them. Whether or not he became Hokage later was entirely up to opportunities and circumstance, but Gaara had faith in Naruto and believed he would still reach that goal one day.

"There were a lot of littler things that happened, too," Naruto concluded, "But those are the major things. What d'you think?" He looked to the redhead for some sort of remark. He wondered what his friend thought of all these misadventures and experiences.

The Kazekage digested the information and turned toward his friend. "I think," he said with deliberate slowness, his following words chosen carefully, "You made the correct choices even when things didn't transpire for the best." He paused as he allowed this to sink in. Then, he told the other: "I also think you were very courageous to go through all of that in such a short amount of time."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty close together, wasn't it? All that stuff… still, I think you're right. Thank you." He grinned at Gaara, his smile sincere and grateful. "It's stupid, but I needed to hear that from someone. Sometimes I need reassurance, because sometimes I falter in my decisions and wonder if they were what people expected of me, or if I did wrong and let them down."

"You know, Naruto," Gaara said at length, his eyes gazing out at the now setting sun, "It's those kinds of insecure thoughts that make a great leader. A leader needs to think of their people, and worry about what they think of them. It's not a bad thing."

"I hope you're not just saying that to make me feel better," Naruto replied with a wary eye in Gaara's direction.

Gaara shook his head minutely. "No. I'm being truthful."

Naruto's smile returned. "I'm glad." He stretched and yawned. He stopped mid-yawn when he looked – really looked – at the sunset. "Wow…"

"I like desert sunsets and rises," Gaara commented offhandedly. "They calm me."

"I can see why!" Naruto replied with a breathless chuckle. "It's pretty."

"I suppose so," Gaara shrugged. "There are lovelier things."

The redhead's face took on a dreamy expression, something Naruto has never seen before. His attention was lured to Gaara's features, which he watched with curiosity. "Like what?" the blonde asked softly. In his own mind, he thought of multiple things that were nicer than the sun coming and leaving. Naruto thought of blushing girls in kimonos, the ocean, and lush forests with hidden waterfalls. A lot of water, actually; streams gliding over rocks and still ponds with lily pads. But cherry blossoms were pretty, too, when they were in full bloom. Was Gaara referring to any of these things?

Gaara went silent for a long time. At one point, Naruto thought he was going to leave or not give an example, but it was at this point that Gaara murmured something small that the blonde didn't catch.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," the redhead stated flatly. The sun left the horizon and the sky turned lavender as the light began to fade. "Shall we go inside now?"

"Um, I guess," Naruto said lamely as one hand ran through his messy blonde spikes. "Thanks for listening, by the way. It made me feel better," he added with a gentle smile.

Gaara didn't look at him or respond, merely paced ahead with a peculiar step to his walk. The kitsune frowned. What's up with his friend? He walked behind the other teen and retreated indoors where the night wasn't quite as cool, the heat of the day lingering within the sandstone walls.

A pink-haired girl came up to him. "Hey, Naruto. How'd it go?" she asked.

"I… don't know," Naruto told Sakura slowly. "Okay, I think."

"You think? Why are you so unsure?" she puzzled aloud.

The blonde shrugged. He watched for Gaara, waiting until he saw him leave before he said: "I don't know why, but at the end Gaara started acting funny."

"Hmm," Sakura frowned, her arms crossing over her chest, "Maybe it was something you said. What were you two talking about before he started acting strange?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in thought. "Well, we were watching the sun set after I told him about recent stuff that happened, and I said 'wow'. And then he mentioned that he liked sunrises and sets in the desert, and I agreed that they were pretty. But then he said that there are prettier things, and I asked him what kind of things, and then he changed the subject. I mean, I think he said something before he changed the subject, but when I asked what it was, he told me 'never mind'. Now, tell me, what the hell is that about?" he ranted. When he finished, Sakura had her hand to her mouth as she figured it out.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Naruto," she said with a curious tone, "What did his face look like when he said something before changing subjects?"

Naruto went back in time for a moment. "Uh… He was looking down. Like, he wasn't looking at me. A little embarrassed, maybe?"

Sakura grinned. "Really?" she giggled. "Then I have a wild guess at what he said. Mind you, it's pretty out there – and highly unlikely – but my guess is, he told you that you were prettier than the sunset. At least, from what I've picked up, that's what a guy might say to someone he likes but would be embarrassed to say aloud."

Naruto blinked heavily in shock. Steadily, he regained his composure. He shook his head vigorously, his hands on his hips. "Nuh-uh. No _way_. That is too out there, Sakura-chan. And _very_ unlikely."

"Then why are you blushing?" she cooed, her tone playful while she pointed to his cheeks.

He flared pinker. "I am not!"

"No? Well, then it must be the lighting," she smirked. In the back of her mind, Sakura speculated that Naruto was embarrassed at the thought of his male friend having a crush on him. She also speculated that Gaara didn't even realize his feelings to their full extent. She had the sudden urge to confront the village leader about it. "If you're going to pout, I'm going to go see if I can find… er… Temari-san. I have something I want to ask her."

So she lied about whom she was going to ask something to, but it hardly mattered. It only benefited the two boys in the end.

xXxXx

"Gaara-sama, do you have a minute?" Sakura inquired sweetly as she knocked at Gaara's office door.

"You may enter, Haruno-san," replied the deep voice on the other side of the door.

A little timidly, the pinkette stepped into the room and offered the redhead a smile. "How're you?" she asked lightly.

"I know you didn't come here to check on me," Gaara commented while he eyes scanned the page of a document he needed to sign.

"Actually, that's exactly what I came here to do," she contradicted. "I'm curious about how you're doing… with Naruto."

Gaara froze in place, his muscles tensing under his voluminous traditional Kazekage robes. "What are you getting at?" he asked darkly, his face beholding nothing but his eyes voicing something else entirely.

Sakura softened her gaze and leaned forward on the chair she sat in opposite him. "You're a reserved person, Gaara-sama. You hardly make an effort to get close to anyone or let anyone get close to you. But I think you have an exception, and that exception is my closest friend. So I think I'm entitled to know what sort of…" She searched for the correct word. "_Progress_ you're making with him. Because if it affects him in the long run, then it affects me too."

Gaara sighed through his nose in both irritation and defeat. He knew he was caught, although he wasn't quite sure what the sharp medical ninja caught him at. "I'm not sure what you're asking of me," he stated leisurely.

Sakura stood from her seat. "Gaara-sama," she said with a friendly tone, "It's okay to tell me. I know there's something deeper between you two, something radiating more from your end."

Gaara blinked. He was thoroughly disturbed that she picked up so much of the feelings he has been trying to conceal. He diverted his eyes and stood nervously, although his body thankfully didn't betray him by shaking or flushing. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly. "And since I don't, could you please –"

"Don't play polite and try to shoo me out," Sakura scolded. "I'm sure you tried the same thing on your sister at some point, but I won't back off like her. Unlike Temari-san, I'm not related to you, nor do I live with you, so there'll be no skin off my bones if I hear my suspicions confirmed." She smiled and gingerly touched her hand to his shoulder. He tensed further. "Is there something you've been suppressing around Naruto?"

Gaara gulped audibly, but kept his stoic facial features as much as he could. "Perhaps," he whispered, "There is… _something_ I can say." He moved in a way that caused her hand to fall from his shoulder. He didn't look at her, and he kept his tone and expression very level. The redhead took a deep breath and clenched his fists into his robes on his thighs. "Naruto makes me feel ill," he said finally.

"In what way?" Sakura asked, her tone genuinely interested. She sat down again to help ease some of the tension off of Gaara. She didn't want him to feel like he was being put on the spot, despite the fact that he essentially was.

"Everything changes inside me," Gaara elaborated. "My stomach flips and grows queasy. And then my heart…" he drifted off. In the past, his heart has had other problems, involving aching pains. But now… "It accelerates. I don't understand it."

He brought his eyes to hers, questions building up behind them. Sakura nodded as a smile grew on her lips. She understood what was happening, and it amused her because her suspicions were being confirmed. She inquired one thing more: "Are you happier when you're around him?"

Gaara puzzled over that. "Aside from the strange reactions in my heart and stomach, I otherwise feel fine. Is that happiness?"

"No, I mean…" Sakura placed a hand to her mouth as she racked her brain for the proper way to word the feeling of happiness. "Do you feel… warm? Maybe even lightheaded? Do you feel like smiling sometimes?"

Something sparked in Gaara's eyes as he stared at her a moment. "Yes… I've felt two of those things when he's around. Why? What does it mean?"

Sakura giggled. She could tell that Gaara detested being laughed at, but it was just too cute. He had no idea! "Gaara-sama," she grinned, "I think you like him."

"Obviously I do," Gaara said with a slight frown, "He's my first friend."

She held back another round of giggles. "That's not what I meant, silly. I meant that you have a crush on him."

The words hit Gaara like a ton of bricks. He didn't say a thing in riposte, merely shook his head from side to side in disbelief. That couldn't be possible…!

"It's quite possible, if you think about it," Sakura commented, her thoughts opposing his. "He's been very kind to you, and from what I've seen, he cares deeply for you." Naruto's furious bawling over Gaara's corpse flashed into her mind, and she pushed it away. That was a terribly saddening moment, but it showed a lot about what Naruto thought of the redhead. She continued: "Not to mention that weird connection you two have because of your… um, pasts." She didn't want to bring up their demons, fearing that it might hurt Gaara to remember. So she substituted. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your thoughts. See you 'round, Gaara-sama."

After she exited, Gaara fell into the chair behind his desk. He simply couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. A crush? He knew what the word meant – it was a feeling for someone just short of being in love – but to think that he could possess such a feeling for someone else? It was unconceivable! Not because of any pride he had – oh no, Gaara was far from being prideful, especially after all the mistakes he had made in his life – but because he knew he didn't deserve it. How could he "like" anyone, possible _love_ someone, when he knew that he couldn't have his feelings returned? Because, Gaara knew, crushes are named crushes for a reason: inevitably, you will get your heart crushed, as well as your hope.

So the answer was no. No, he did _not_ feel something so strong for Naruto. He refused to admit the dull pain his chest carried all the months after he parted with Teams Kakashi and Gai. He refused to admit that Sakura's deductions could be right on the money.

He couldn't recognize why, but the denial he was sending himself made Gaara feel heavy-hearted.

"Perhaps I should talk to Naruto about this tomorrow," he murmured to himself. That couldn't be a bad idea.

At least, Gaara hoped not.

xXxXx

It was to be two days until Team Kakashi would leave Suna to continue their mission. Technically, they would be leaving today if it were not for the shortage of supplies they needed. Sunagakure rarely grew enough foods or made enough medical supplies in their own greenhouses and medical facilities to help everyone. Plus, they had no trees for wood. Hence, they would get a shipment from miscellaneous allies every month to assist in any field of necessities they were lacking. This was one of the trading businesses that made the Kazekage all the more responsible for the health of his village.

Team Kakashi had to wait for this shipment because they needed some things in case of emergency on their mission, not to mention plenty of foods that could keep well on their journey.

It was on one of these last two days that Gaara chose to be the "tomorrow" on which he spoke to Naruto about his mixed emotions. He only hoped that the blonde would be able to help him sort things out, and prayed he didn't react poorly.

"Naruto," the Kazekage murmured to get the mentioned teen's attention.

When the blonde turned around to face him, he smiled. "'Sup, Gaara?" he said in a friendly voice.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" Gaara said straight away; he didn't want to beat the conversation around the bush.

"Of 'course! You can talk to me about anything, dattebayo," Naruto said strongly, because he really meant it. "You look pretty worried about something, whatever it is. And I'd be glad to help. I mean, you listened to me about my problems, so I kinda owe you one."

Naruto didn't owe him a thing. Gaara already owed Naruto his life twice over, seeing as how Naruto saved him from himself when they were young and then regained his heartbeat not too long ago. He couldn't ask for more, and yet he needed to ask for some advice.

Gaara cleared his throat and motioned for his friend to follow him somewhere out of earshot of the others. Sakura caught a glimpse of them leaving, and she smiled faintly. She knew things would turn out all right; she could feel it. In the meantime, Gaara felt on the borderline of being a nervous wreck. How should he start the topic? What can he say hat won't give Naruto the wrong idea? Because, sometimes, the blonde jumped to conclusions that weren't quite correct. Gaara didn't want that to happen; he needed Naruto to patiently listen and absorb every last detail of information before coming to a conclusion. If he was lucky, Naruto wouldn't come to the same conclusion Sakura had.

"So what's this about, Gaara?" the kitsune grunted as he plopped himself down on the couch in Gaara's living room, his legs crossing and his hands flying behind his head in a casual manner. The room was a sort of lounge halfway between the bedrooms and the dining room in the homier level of the Kazekage mansion.

The redhead struggled with what words to use to begin. He started thinking that he liked it better when someone asked questions and he answered them; it required less speaking. And it put some of the stress off of him when it came to choosing his words. Gaara wondered if he should just cut to the chase and state, 'Haruno-san thinks I have a crush on you. Prove to me that she's wrong.'

Naruto cocked his head to the side, noticing the way Gaara paused with his eyes shaking, as if he were watching the scenery flying by. "Oi, Gaara," he called as he pulled himself into sitting position and pulled Gaara from his thoughts, "Is something wrong? Did something bad happen? I said you could tell me anything… and you're worrying me with that look on your face."

What look on his face? Gaara made sure to keep his face as expressionless as possible. How could Naruto decipher any fraction of emotion that leaked through? It was an odd talent he had if he could pick out any emotions. This fact made Gaara even more uneasy, even more ill, because now he realized just how close he must've let Naruto get to him if his body naturally allowed emotion to leak through around the blonde.

"It's not anything bad, Naruto," Gaara revealed slowly, "At least I hope it isn't. It's… complicated, that's all."

Naruto adjusted his position on the couch to allow some space next to him. "Here, sit down, 'ttebayo. You look like you could use a load off."

With movements rustier than his usual grace, Gaara sat down beside Naruto. His hands tangled themselves and fell into place on his lap while his eyes avoided the richly blue ones beside him.

Satisfied that they were on equal ground (so to speak), Naruto began: "Now then… what's on your mind?"

Gaara took a deep breath through his nose and released it a couple seconds later. "Your friend, Haruno-san, approached me about something… and I don't know how to take it. I was hoping you could help me figure it out."

The blonde frowned. "What did she say to you?" he said sternly, his tone demanding answers. He wanted – or, rather, _needed_ – to know what the hell his best friend said to make his other close friend act this bizarre.

"She asked me a few questions that I was reluctant to answer. When I did, she came to a… an unsettling conclusion," the redhead murmured. He glanced briefly at Naruto. Normally, he could hold the blonde's gaze with ease, but he found that difficult at the moment.

Naruto seemed to notice this, although he didn't make an effort to change it. He let Gaara's eyes escape his gaze while he waited for the redhead to say anything more. When Gaara didn't continue, Naruto prodded him further with the question needed to finish the topic he was only getting hints about at the moment. "What was her conclusion?"

Gaara nibbled on his lip, a habit he didn't know he had since he has never been at such a loss for words. Even when he came back to damn near a hundred people surrounding him and Naruto supporting his back, the shock wasn't enough to steal his words. He had no need to speak then, which is why he hadn't. He could've said something, and he did say a little, but right now…

"I can't help you if I don't know what she said," Naruto reminded Gaara.

The Kazekage exhaled in a way that was almost a sigh. "She said that I…" He stood so that he didn't have to be right beside Naruto when he admitted: "Must have a 'crush' on you."

He used the word 'crush' lightly, but it didn't soften the blow any. Naruto reeled back, his brows knitting together. "Huh? Why the hell would she say that?"

Gaara fidgeted under Naruto's intense gaze. "She asked me what I felt when I was around you, and I told her. Her conclusion is inane, right? I couldn't possibly…"

Naruto scrubbed his scalp with his nails, the pressure a bit too hard. He knew what he needed to ask, but he wasn't sure if he should. It might bring about the end of their relationship, and Naruto would really rather not lose Gaara; he had once already, but to a different fate. Somehow, this other fate seemed just as terrible, but a lot more embarrassing. "What did you tell her you felt?" the blonde asked in a shaking voice. "I… I need to know, just in case she was… um, correct."

Gaara whirled around to stare at his friend. "But she couldn't have been. Things like that don't happen," he said in a low tone; it was on the brink of being angry. "Especially not…" he drifted off, his train of thought lost.

"Gaara," Naruto said gently as he, too, rose to his feet, "It's alright. I can tell that you're scared, but you don't need to be. I also can see why you came to me about this," he added with a strange smile Gaara has never seen before. Shaking his head, Naruto laid a hand on Gaara's shoulder. "No matter what, I'll still be your friend, dattebayo. Okay?"

Steadily, Gaara relaxed and nodded.

"So what did you tell her?"

"I said that you make me feel ill," he replied with a much calmer tone of voice.

Naruto got confused. "I make you sick?" Usually this is an expression people use when they speak about people they hate.

The redhead shifted in his footing. "In a matter of speaking, yes. My heartbeat speeds up and my stomach churns some of the time. It's not painful, but it worries me. It's not normal."

"Well, you're right about that," Naruto half-heartedly chuckled as he sat himself down on the couch once more. "It's not normal. It sure sounds like…" He shook his head. But it couldn't be a crush! He had a point earlier; things like that really _don't _happen. Especially not… Suddenly, Naruto knew what Gaara had been about to say: _Especially not between two male friends._ And yet, it made sense. Two men can get very close to one another, and depending on who they are, the closeness could be like brothers (Naruto immediately thought of Sasuke), like parental guides (Naruto thought of his mentors, like Iruka- and Kakashi-sensei, along with perverted old Jiraiya) or even – in the most dramatic situations – like _lovers_.

This realization struck Naruto hard. He looked Gaara over, noticing the slight blush on his pale cheeks and the unsure expression in his aquamarine eyes. He looked down and noticed how Gaara – who was a rather calm person – had his fingers twisting nervously. Suddenly, Gaara reminded him of Hinata.

"Oh shit," Naruto groaned to himself. He stood up and faced away from his friend, completely unable to look at the redhead any longer without wanting to bash his head in with a wall. "This is all my fault." He didn't know how, but Naruto knew this was true. It's his fault that Gaara fell for him. He didn't even know how the redhead got to this point, but he knew it had to have been something he did. He didn't want to hurt Gaara; that was the last thing he wanted to do in this moment. But he couldn't get the Kazekage's hopes up too high, either. What should he do?

"Naruto? What is it?" Gaara fretted, although his tone and face contained no trace of it.

"Sakura-chan was right," he told his friend, breaking the news to him. He turned around to face Gaara. "How did it happen?" he asked with a dry throat.

The redhead blinked. He couldn't believe it. Even Naruto came to the same conclusion? His heart throbbed all of a sudden, and Gaara clutched it through his robes. Without prior notice, he was aware that it had been foolish to ask the blonde to contradict Sakura's deduction. He should have stuck with lying to himself after she left.

But that was the thing that made him all the more sure that the two Konoha ninjas were correct: because he would have had lie to himself that he felt nothing for Naruto. And the fact that he would have to lie meant his feelings were true.

"I see," Gaara murmured in a voice too low for Naruto to hear, "So that's how it is." He looked up at the blonde. Louder, he said: "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" the kitsune said with a raised eyebrow, "What's there to be sorry about? It's not your fault!" He came up to Gaara, not caring about personal space, and forced Gaara to stare him dead in the eye. "Look, I'm not going to let this change anything, dammit. I don't want you to get hurt." He released Gaara's shoulders and leaned back a bit. "Frankly, I don't know how I feel about this, but I can promise you that I won't stop being your friend over something this… _stupid_!"

"It's stupid for me to like you?" Gaara asked, trying to understand. But the way he said it made Naruto pale slightly.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like _that_! It's not stupid to like anyone, it's just this situation is… ugh, I don't know." Naruto was losing his steam. He sighed and collapsed onto the couch. He ran his hand through his hair. "Why did this have to happen now, of all times?" Right when he was so close to sorting out the other problems in his life, this pops up. It's a rough speed bump that has left his tires dead in the middle of the road.

"What can I do?" Gaara whispered. He felt awful, his entire frame swirling in a cloud of chilling doubt. If he had any less self-control, he'd be shaking.

Naruto looked up into his friend's eyes. He smiled lopsidedly to reassure the other teen. "Don't worry, there's nothing you have to do." He stood for the umpteenth time and offered his arms. "Just… come here."

Gaara cocked his head, confused about what Naruto wanted him to do. He looked at Naruto's outspread arms, which looked very inviting. They were open in a way that showed vulnerability, and if he were in a battlefield, allowed for any weapon to be hurled at him. The thought didn't sit well with the redhead. "Don't do that, Naruto." Don't set yourself up for attack, he meant.

But Naruto interpreted it differently. He thought Gaara didn't want him to mock him or patronize him by offering him a hug. "I don't mean anything by it," Naruto said as his arms lowered. "I just thought you needed one."

It was like they were speaking different languages. On an average day during an average interaction between them, they could understand one another so well they hardly needed to speak. But perhaps from being put in an awkward, far-from-average setting, the two got put on different levels.

"Needed one what?"

"A hug!"

Gaara was silenced by that one.

"Don't tell me no one's ever hugged you before…?"

Not even his uncle had. Everyone was too afraid of him to. In retrospect, Temari had tried to on occasion, her arms spread out the way Naruto's were a moment ago. But every single time Gaara had brushed past her and didn't acknowledge it.

In response, Gaara shook his head. That's when Naruto decided that he needed to lessen the tension and correct the misunderstanding by stepping forward and finishing what he attempted to start.

The blonde locked his arms around Gaara's shoulders so not to trap his arms, which were tightly placed at his sides. Gaara gasped, and his heart leapt in his chest. Naruto's warmth surrounded him, and it made him feel sleepy. He lowered his eyelids and let his body follow suit, his entire frame softening under Naruto's touch. With anyone else, he would have pushed them away and put up the barrier he usually set between himself and others. But with Naruto, he couldn't stomach doing such a thing.

From being nearly the same height, Gaara's chin was left to rest on Naruto's shoulder, and his ear skimmed Naruto's jaw. Unconsciously, the redhead moved his arms to return the gesture, if only to steady himself from falling forward.

On the other end, Naruto fought with himself. He couldn't let Gaara hug him for too long; what if that led him on? But he couldn't end it too abruptly either; what if he hurt Gaara by making him feel rejected? Man, this was not how he planned his trip to Suna to go.

Not knowing what else to do, Naruto started stroking Gaara's hair like he would to calm a crying a girl. Even though Gaara wasn't crying or female, he felt the need to comfort him in some way, and rubbing small circles on his back somehow didn't seem to fit; not when Gaara's hands were beginning to cling to his jacket.

What made Naruto baffled beyond belief was the fact that he was so accepting of the news of Gaara's unexplainable crush on him. Why did he feel the need to protect the redhead from his own unreturned feelings? Unless they weren't as unreturned as he thought… after all, he hadn't been able to describe to Tsunade-baachan what Gaara meant to him. At the time, there had been no words to describe how dear to him the young Kazekage was. All he knew was that he needed Gaara with him. He needed him here as a fellow demon carrier (even if Shukaku was gone now, Gaara still knew how it felt), as an ally for whenever he became Hokage, as a friend, and as a person alive on Earth. It occurred to him just how painful it was when he had lost that last thing all those months ago. Why had it hurt that much? When he was younger, he thought he lost Sasuke when they fought with Haku, but he'd only been angry then. He didn't cry, just got extremely angry. He was a mad when Gaara died, too, but he was also the saddest he'd ever been. A word to describe what he had felt popped into his head: _devastated_.

Pulling away bit by bit, Naruto held Gaara at arms length. The redhead opened his black-rimmed eyes slowly, and vaguely Naruto wondered if he still didn't get much sleep. "Gaara," he brought up in a questioning tone despite the fact that he wasn't asking a question, "You mean a lot to me…"

"But?" Gaara prodded, hearing the word at the end of Naruto's sentence even if it wasn't spoken.

"But I don't know to what extent," he admitted with conviction. He really didn't want to set up any false hope, but what he was saying was true.

"What does that mean?" Gaara inquired quietly. He had a feeling that things were about to turn either for the worse or for the better. Silently, Gaara prayed it was for the better. He wasn't forceful any longer, so he didn't want to force Naruto to return his feelings or anything of the sort, but he knew he would be eternally happy if Naruto somehow did.

"It means," Naruto said as he stepped away from Gaara and began to pace, "That I could be getting myself into some deep trouble. The emotional kind."

"I think I should give you some time to yourself for thought." He didn't actually desire a parting with Naruto's presence, but he presumed it would be for the best.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…" he said as if he were in a daze, "I think so, too. See you later, Gaara."

"Goodbye," he murmured after Naruto had already exited the room. "I'll wait for your decision when you revisit."

Because Gaara knew that Naruto wouldn't reach any verdict until long after he left Sunagakure. He probably wouldn't have anything to say until he came back through Suna on his way home.

xXxXx

Naruto bumped into Sakura on his way out of the Kazekage tower. She stopped him and smiled. "I saw you leave to talk to Gaara-sama. How'd it go?" she questioned. "I bet you heard about the chat he and I had."

"I did," Naruto grunted. "And, honestly?" he added tiredly, "I think it went pretty well, 'ttebayo."

She tilted her head. "Really?" she clarified with a bright tone.

He sighed and smiled weakly. "Really. My heart feels like it's in the blender along with my brain, now, but otherwise I think it went pretty well."


	2. PART II: To Continue On With

**A/N: I decided to make this a three-part fic. It seems to be doing pretty well (no title-pun intended), so now that FF.n is finally up and running again for log-ins, I thought I'd supply the next part. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Warnings: sandsib fluff (with Temari and Gaara because I think it's uber adorable), a overly worried Naruto, and a surprise guest whom I hate with a passion! D:**

* * *

"So what are you going to do?" the pinkette asked pointedly. Naruto had confided in her what his talk with Gaara had consisted of, actions and all. She wasn't surprised what had gone down; she knew something physical could have happened, although she didn't know what. She almost expected something extreme, like a physical rejection such as a shove, or the polar opposite, like an accepting kiss. Neither occurred, but her Inner Sakura was pleased with what did. Hugs are nice, and they always lighten the mood no matter what it is.

"I have no clue," Naruto groaned despairingly. "I would like some advice, please."

Sakura blew air at her bangs. "Gee, Naruto, I don't know, either. It's not like I'm experienced with this kind of thing. I mean, Lee likes me, and you used to, but I never returned either of your feelings. And it seems to me you might be returning some of Gaara's."

"That's just the problem, dattebayo! I don't know if I do, and if I were to I wouldn't know how to handle it because all my life it's been about girls, ya know? So how am I supposed to suddenly change all that over one person?" Naruto whined, stuffing his face into a pillow. They were seated in Sakura's hotel room, Naruto cross-legged on the bed and Sakura in a chair a little ways away.

"Maybe you should ask someone who has dealt with this kind of thing," Sakura puzzled out slowly, "Someone who's been in a similar situation…"

"Say what?" the blonde quizzed as he lifted his head.

"Well, um, there is someone I know who used to have a crush on one of their friends… and this friend of theirs wasn't female, either. Maybe you should talk to him about it." Sakura said with a strange look on her face. It was a cross between wanting to giggle and pull a 'weird, isn't it?' face.

"How the hell am I supposed to talk to him? I don't know who you're talking about, let alone where he is. If he's back in Konoha, I can't talk to him now! We're on a mission! Plus, I don't have a crush on Gaara; I'm just… uh, _undecided_. Because of what happened, I'm left all confused and stuff, 'ttebayo."

The pink-haired nin twisted up her hands. "Actually, you do know who I'm talking about, you just can't guess because of what I said about him. He's here with us in Suna." She revealed.

Naruto perked up. "He is? That really helps! So who is he?"

"Er… Kakashi-sensei," she whispered.

The blonde blinked. His jaw fell to the floor in awe. "No way…!" he muttered in disbelief. "You have to be joking, Sakura-chan. I mean, Kakashi-sensei isn't…"

"Well, he never acted on it," she said. "He told me the story once when Tsunade-baachan treated him to too much sake and asked that I walk him home to make sure he didn't hurt himself or pass out along the way. And it was weird, because he started talking to me about it, and I never expected it."

"What did he say?" the kitsune asked out of genuine curiosity.

Sakura flushed slightly with guilt for spilling her sensei's secrets. "He said that for a long time when he was growing up, he liked his childhood comrade Uchiha Obito. But they were friends and he didn't want to ruin that, so he kept his feelings to himself, but then Obito passed away. And he regrets it to this day."

Naruto mulled this information over. It was very hard to understand, let alone believe, but somehow it fit. It seemed possible, in a warped sort of way. Some people thought Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had something, but everyone else knew that it was just a rumor. Although, suddenly, it appeared a bit more realistic because of the news Naruto got from Sakura a second ago.

"The way I look it at, if you come to Kakashi-sensei for advice about this, he'll most likely tell you not to do anything you'll regret." Sakura stood from the chair and walked over to her friend. She bent down enough to look Naruto in the eyes. "If what you won't regret late on would be to try it, then do. If you think that might hurt Gaara-sama in the long run and it's better to tell him 'no' now, then do. In my opinion, if you choose something that you think is best, then it's the right thing because it'll be what you won't regret later on in life."

The blonde peered up at his teammate and nodded his head. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. It helps a lot. It also saves me a very embarrassing conversation with Kakashi-sensei, since I think he'd say the same thing… if I caught him in a gentle mood, that is."

Sakura giggled. "Yeah, I have a feeling he'd be a lot blunter that I am." She put out her hand, offering to help him stand. Naruto took it and she yanked him off the bed and into a short embrace. When she released him, she ventured, "Are you going to be able to make a decision before we leave, or is poor Gaara-sama going to have to wait?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I'm afraid he'll have to wait. I'm still trying to figure out what feels right, and I doubt I'll come to a conclusion any time soon, 'ttebayo…"

"Alright." Sakura nodded. "I guess that's best. It lets you take more time to figure everything out, which could save you both a lot of pain later."

"You make it sound like I'm taking some giant test or something," Naruto pointed out with a grin.

The other laughed. "In a way, you are."

xXxXx

When it came time for Naruto to say goodbye the next day, the air was thicker with tension than when he first gave Gaara a heartfelt goodbye. It made the blonde uncomfortable to know that he caused the reason to why both Gaara's minute smile was missing and why there was a new struggling pain hidden in the depths of Gaara's eyes.

Nonetheless, Gaara held out his hand like before. And also like before, his hand was just as mysteriously soft and greatly contrasting with Naruto's own rough, tanned hand. But this time, Naruto couldn't shake it. His hand was quivering on it's own accord; it hardly needed any more movement. He felt nervous, and he couldn't quite put a finger on why. Well, it clearly had to do with Gaara, but he didn't know specifically what about him.

"So… I guess… I'll see you again soon, Gaara," Naruto murmured as he let go of Gaara's hand. His own felt clammy from his nerves.

"Soon," Gaara parroted. His voice sounded low and weaker than usual. There was something in that weakness of tone that caused Naruto to want to embrace Gaara for a second time and reassure him that he was going to make sure that everything would turn out fine.

With one final, longing glance, Naruto turned around and followed the rest of his team, whom were much father ahead of him that he thought. He heard something scuff the sand, like a foot taking a step forward, or perhaps a step backward. But Naruto didn't dare look back, for he was afraid of what image he might catch in the corner of his eye.

xXxXx

The day felt choppy. Gaara's head swam constantly, as if his skull was full of water, sloshing and churning and confusing him. He felt as though he were fading in and out of darkness. Black outs, people call them. _Blank spots in one's memory._ On most occasions, they are associated with a disease that affects the brain. But this wasn't the case with the redhead; in his case, it was the ache in his heart from a mix of emotions powerful enough to make his mind unable to function properly. So his brain did the best it could by recalling as many events as possible, but by the end of the day of Naruto's departure, Gaara could merely think of **half** the things he'd done.

"Gaara?" Temari asked later that evening. There was heavy concern laced throughout his name when she spoke it. She found him facedown on the couch in their living room, the only recognizable aspect of him being his clothes and red hair. His entire face was buried into the cushions of the back part of the couch in a corner. "What's wrong? You're acting strange."

There was a muffled noise, something similar to an agitated grunt of displeasure. It was a noise that most people would use to say rudely, 'leave me the hell alone'.

"Otoutou…" Temari sighed as she sat on the edge of the couch near Gaara's legs. "You have to tell me what's up. For the past couple days, you haven't been acting like yourself! The first day, I just thought you were having a moody moment and I didn't bother you about it, but now you're flat-out _scaring_ me." Her tone was stern and honest. The blonde woman had good intention in both. "Tell me, please."

Gaara lifted his head and looked over his shoulder at her puzzled expression. With an exasperated sigh, he sat up and straightened himself, some of his regal demeanor returning. "I don't think I can say, onee-san."

"Why not?" Temari asked. She felt a tad offended. "I mean, I knew we haven't talked much about personal stuff in the past, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to hear out anything problems you might be having!"

Gaara locked his gaze on the folds of his airy cotton robes. "But I don't understand my problem, so how can I talk about it?"

Temari frowned. "If you don't understand it, then how do you know you even have a problem?" He wasn't making any sense, and that worried her further; after all, Gaara was a very logical person, so for him to not make sense, that in itself didn't seem sensible.

When Gaara didn't respond, Temari tried a different tactic.

"What are you feeling right now, otoutou? Maybe I can help you find your problem."

"I feel… weighted," he said at length, his brows coming together in the slightest as if he were in pain.

"Weighted? Like too much responsibility? That's normal for someone who became a Kazekage at such a young age. Hell, I only do a little bit of the work you do, and I –"

"That's not what I meant," Gaara corrected. "I meant on my chest, in my heart."

The fan-wielder cocked her head. "Oh, is that it? That's easy, then: it's from Uzumaki. He left today, and you didn't get to see him very long, and since he's your first real friend besides Kankurou and me, you miss him. It's understandable," she amended.

"But onee-san," Gaara remarked, his tone soft. Temari enjoyed it when he spoke respectfully and almost affectionately to her like this, calling her 'big sister'. He continued: "You weren't there. A lot happened, and because of it, I'm left feeling the way I am."

"Well, what happened? If you just tell me –"

Gaara shook his head fiercely, his eyes flashing. "No."

"Gaara… Please. Open up to me. I won't hurt you. And who knows? Maybe telling me will make you feel better," she pleaded with him, her dark teal eyes begging. Sure, she was a tough, cocky girl to everyone else, but secretly she had a soft spot for her youngest brother. He was fragile in his own way, and she felt the need to mother him.

Gaara sighed through his nose a manner that usually meant that he felt reluctant or irritated, or on some occasions, frustrated. It appeared that in this moment, it was all three. "Haruno-san pointed out something to me about Naruto, and after speaking with him it was confirmed. And I'm not quite comfortable with the topic."

"What is it?" Temari questioned. Her mind couldn't chalk up any form of speculation.

"Haruno-san thinks… and Naruto agreed with her… that I must…" he replied at a snail's pace, his heart drumming and his face contorting slightly with the words, "Have a crush on him." Finally he told her what the cause of his weighted heart was. Then, something clicked into place in his mind. "Perhaps… what presently bothers me is what the future will hold." Yes, that has to be it; he was afraid for the next time he would see Naruto. He feared rejection, not sure if his heart could take it, especially not when it finally started to love. Vaguely, Gaara touched the blood red scar on his forehead.

With all of this, Temari understood what was really going on. She got up and knelt before him. He didn't notice her movement (a rare oblivious moment for him) until she took his hand by the fingers from his forehead and placed them at his side. She then leant forward and hugged him, something she had been meaning to do for a couple years now. "I get it, Gaara. You might not think so, but I truly understand what's hurting you now," she mumbled over his shoulder. He felt tense and braced as if for attack while she held him, but she ignored it. "The funny thing is, you're going through something almost every teenager does, except on a much broader and… _altered _scale."

She smelled oddly familiar to him. It triggered a lullaby in his mind, a calming melody from the far recesses of his memory. "Temari?" Gaara whispered.

"What?"

"You remind me of Mother. Your smell... it triggers a vague memory in my mind."

She pulled away to look him in the face. Her eyes searched his, as if she could find the memory and relive it herself. "What kind of memory? You were so young when she died… What could you possibly remember?"

"Nothing visual," Gaara replied slowly, his voice in a completely different tone than anything she has heard come from his mouth. "It makes me think of the melody from a lullaby."

Temari gasped in surprise. She swallowed and nodded her head once. "I remember… there was a lullaby she would sing to us… she sang it to Kankurou and I when we were babies and toddlers to get us to fall asleep. I remember hearing her sing it to you when you were first born. I remember because the medical ninja taking care of her birth had just handed you to her after cleaning you so that she could nurse and name you. It was weird, because the second she saw you with your bright red hair, she had smiled and whispered your name immediately, as if she already had it planned out. And then she started humming the lullaby while she nursed you."

Gaara lowered his head and absorbed this. Because of the doubts Yashamaru had planted in his mind, he hadn't been sure if his mother had loved him or not. Obviously, this was before he has become a Jinchuuriki, at a time subsequent to his birth. It was a warming thought to know that his mother had smiled when she saw him and didn't at all think of a monster or demon child, that she only thought of him as her son, her baby.

Nibbling his lower lip to stop the odd sensation of crying from washing over him, Gaara said lowly, "I'm glad you told me this, onee-san. Although I wish you could have mentioned it earlier."

"Sorry," she said lamely, "But I didn't remember that myself until a minute ago. I was young then, too. Not as young as you were – which makes it all the more remarkable that you remember anything – but I was young enough."

The redhead nodded, realizing that this was probably true. It wasn't like she meant to keep this comforting information from him; Temari was not as cruel as that. It was true that she was fierce in battle, but she wasn't a fierce person by nature. Not to her brothers.

"Anyway," Temari said as she got to her feet and ruffled Gaara's hair (another thing she has wanted to do for some time), "I'm going to go wash the dinner dishes, since I'm sure Kankurou already 'forgot' to do them. If you want to talk more, you're welcome to –"

"No," Gaara said as he suppressed a yawn, "I'm weary. I'm going to retire to my room for the rest of the night."

"Okay," Temari smiled. "Good night, then."

The redhead gave a curt nod and then exited the room. He followed the hallway to the end where the master bedroom for the Kazekage awaited him. He opened the door, noting that his cleaning maid had left the window open like he requested. He always told her to leave it open if the weather was relatively pleasant at night. He liked the cool breeze and, sometimes, he would resort to his old insomniac habits by exiting via window to camp up on the roof until sunrise.

He decided that for tonight, he wanted nothing more than to lie in the dark on his back on the bed, the covers below him while a dry, cool breeze of the desert night swept over him. It sounded very pleasing, and he thought it was the best way to regulate his stressed, heavy heart. It also sounded like a good method of washing his mind. His brain felt somewhat cluttered, and the atmosphere made his skin feel warm. So what better than to chill his body and ice his mind than having his window open on a cold desert night? To Gaara, one of the best things about living in the desert was exactly that: having boiling days and chilling nights, dry air through and through.

Satisfied with this choice, Gaara shut off his light and stripped to the bare essentials as moonlight streamed in through his window. For once, he didn't feel paranoid about possible break-ins; he trusted the guards outside his building for the time being. He'd feel safer if there were bars on his window, but if he had that, how would he be able to leap out and get onto the roof?

There were three windows that Gaara had in his room. One was the average size like the rest of the windows on the mansion, another was circular and was placed just above his king-sized bed, and the last was less of a window and more of a large, double-paneled glass door that slid open and led to a small balcony. The balcony would normally be a better space to escape from, but the balcony wasn't anywhere near his favorite, highest section of the roof.

These small facts aside, Gaara lied down on his bed and shut his eyes, his arms and legs widespread across the sheets. They were done up the proper way thanks to his maid, and felt nice and cool from the breeze that had bathed them while he was absent from them. He sighed to himself and felt as though he were sinking into the mattress.

His mind wandered, covering a broad range of thoughts. Naruto, Sakura, goodbyes, his mother, his sister, his brother, his job, his people, his uncle, his demon. He didn't feel the usual pain that came with some of these thoughts, and if he did, he hardly noticed. He concentrated more on the sensation of the night air on his flesh and less on his heart.

But Gaara still didn't like the thoughts that were currently rampaging in his brain. He tried to distract himself further by singing softly. He didn't hum his mother's lullaby, nor did he sing a folk song of his people; he chose something else, something he had heard but has not yet been able to get out of his head. It was a song that sounded much too happy in his opinion, but he liked the lyrics and somehow, it sounded good with his voice**(1)**.

"_Ne, ima made kimi no ita basho wa  
Don'na fuuni suteki datta no?  
Un, sou da ne, kimi no koto dakara  
Sei ippai kenage ni ikite kitan darou…"_

(**English:**  
Hey, this place you are in now...  
What makes it so wonderful?  
Oh, I see, it is because of you  
You're always trying to live life heroically…)

"_Atarashii sekai sorosoro ikaga desu?  
Boku to isshou ni te to tetsunai de  
Saa~ tobikomi mashou_…"

(How about the two of us head to another world?  
When I am with you nothing can stop us  
Okay~ let's dive away!)

"Come on, let's go,  
_Zettai daijoubu –_Are you okay?  
_Kitto daijoubu…  
Hoshou wa chotto dekinai keredo  
_But _saki no mienai ashita totemo wakuwaku da shi  
Sukoshi kurai bouken shimashou  
Datte anata bouken suki deshou…"_

(Come on, let's go!  
Everything will be fine. –Are you okay?  
Surely everything will be fine.  
However, I can't guarantee anything  
But, even if I can't predict tomorrow, I'm still excited  
So let's set out on a little adventure because, after all, you do like adventures…)

"_Sou, tashika ni kowai ka mo shirenai  
Kimi no kotoba ichiri arimasu  
Mou, ato ni wa hikenai koto wo  
Nantonaku kanjiteru no ka mo…"_

(That's right, no doubt it may become scary  
Your words do have some merit there  
Come on, we can't turn back now  
Somehow, I can just feel it…)

Gaara stopped for a spell. His eyes popped open as something occurred to him: small tidbits of the song made him think of the orange-clad, knuckleheaded ninja all over again. Yet he couldn't seem to stop. The song was nearly over anyhow, but the fact that small pieces reminded him of Naruto made him want to sing it even more for reasons he didn't want to express.

"_Katsu ka? Makeru ka? Shiro to deru ka? Kuro to deru ka?  
Boku no kyara ni wa funi ai dakedo tama ni wa ii deshou…"_

(Will we win? Will we lose? Will it turn out good? Will it turn out bad?  
It's not like me to care about these things, but it's okay for me to slip every once in a while…)

"Come on, alright,  
_Zettai daijoubu_ –Are you okay?  
_Kitto daijoubu  
Hoshou wa chotto dekinai keredo_  
But _saki no mienai ashita totemo doki-doki suru  
Sukoshi kurai kakete mimashou, datte anata gyamburu suki deshou…"_

(Come on, alright!  
Everything will be fine. –Are you okay?  
Surely everything will be fine.  
However, I can't guarantee anything  
But, even if I can't predict tomorrow, my heart is still thumping so quickly  
So let's put a little bit on the line because, after all, you do like to gamble…)

"Come on, let's go,  
_Zettai daijoubu_ –Are you okay?  
_Kitto daijoubu  
Oishii tabemono mo takusan aru_  
Check, _son'na mugendai no kibou ga aru no dakara  
Sukoshi kurai ganbari mashou, datte anata gurume na hito deshou."_

(Come on, let's go!  
Everything will be fine. –Are you okay?  
Surely everything will be fine.  
There will be very delicious food  
Check! Because you have so much hope...  
Let's save a little bit because, after all, you're a natural gourmet.)

Gaara felt a tad foolish when he completed the goofy song, but as he slowly sat up on his bed, he realized that his heart didn't feel quite as heavy as before. In fact, it appeared to have taken on it's usual volume, which is practically weightless. He couldn't understand why, but he guessed it was because he allowed himself to think of Naruto guiltlessly. It also could be because he cheered himself up with music, but he wasn't about to admit it.

With a majority of his spirit back, Gaara removed his covers from their tight placement and slid underneath them. He curled up on his right side, for once being fully prepared to have a long night's sleep.

xXxXx

Naruto wondered if it was possible for a person to overload from stress. He's had plenty of pressure placed on him in the past, but currently he felt as though he were carrying far too much. His mind was constantly racing, his incoherent emotions ranging from worry to panic to anger to sadness to feeling nothing whatsoever. It depended on which thoughts popped up. Gaara, the paranoia of being attacked while traveling, Sasuke, Jiraiya, and a void of blank blackness when he shut down to either sleep or stop himself from yelling or crying out.

He worried about Gaara; how was the redhead doing? How was he managing with the weight of uncertainty on Naruto's behalf? Would be alright if Naruto told him he wanted to only remain friends? Would he visit more often if they developed their relationship further? (Actually, the idea of seeing Gaara more often did spark a temporarily sunny feeling in Naruto, a feeling that made him unconsciously smile.)

He panicked about their mission; would he be able to complete it? Would he come back in one piece to Gaara on the way back and everyone in Konohagakure when he returned? Would he fail like all the other times he has attempted this same exact mission?

You see, the goal was of the same old 'retrieve Sasuke' sort. This time they had more people, and they knew where to locate the bastard, and this time they meant to take him as either a prisoner or in a body bag, depending on how things went. They could also take him back as a lost comrade turned from his traitorous ways, but no one hoped too highly for this; everyone taking part in the mission this time around knew that the third option was damn near impossible, not to mention utterly improbable.

Thinking of Sasuke, Naruto would grow angry, and depending on what he thought, he grew as far as 'livid'. If he went a tad farther – 'blind with fury' being the term here – his eyes would change color to a bloody red and his canine teeth and nails would grow, and the whisker marks on his cheeks would become more pronounced. He was getting more and more pissed with every passing thought of Sasuke, mainly due to the fact that Sasuke had dealt with some pretty dark affairs in his life thus far. It both frightened and enraged Naruto.

…But mostly, it enraged him.

And then, as he thought of what kind of training Sasuke must've went through along with who trained him while Naruto was gone those few years, he thought of who was his own mentor. Jiraiya. And the very thought of Ero-Sannin sent Naruto into a depressed hole that was hard to crawl out of, because despite what he said to others, he thought highly of the perverted old man; almost how one might think of their wise grandfather, the kind that interacted with you and joked right along with you. And when he found out from Tsunade-baachan what Jiraiya really was to him, it made him hurt all the more. It felt like this: _What? My _godfather_? I lost who was technically my last relation on the planet? Now that really stings, dattebayooo!_

And it was at that point that Naruto shut off his emotion valve and ceased the stream of emotions completely. He went dead, his face stern and his eyes hard as he breathed in and out much slower. It was a way of stopping himself from crying; he figured he's cried enough, so why cry more? Besides, he had a mission to do, and he wasn't about to spontaneously break down in tears along the way. Nor was he going to save them for when he saw Sasuke; last time they met he had gone numb, and he expected to do the same. Although he was going to move more this time around… don't want to get stabbed again, ne?

"I think I have his scent," one of Kakashi's dogs called back to the group one evening. It had been a little over a week since they left Suna (ten days), and they'd been out of the desert for a few days now.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi questioned.

"Positive. It's a hard scent to forget."

"Alright. Lead the way, then." The silver-haired teacher replied, his voice low and even.

"…Sasuke…" Sakura whispered in an odd voice. She was the closest one to Naruto, yet from the angle, he couldn't see the expression on her face. Judging by the tone she used – which was a mix between shock, pain, and resentment – he pictured her face resembling a calm stone with fire in it's eyes.

Naruto stiffened and tightened his fists, his senses sharp and aware of everything around him. Since last time, he had gained a hefty amount of skills and was more than prepared to face the bastard as soon as he saw his raven hair and sharingan eyes. This time, he actually had confidence that he could defeat Sasuke…_ if_ it came down to a fight. There was ever the possibility that Sasuke could evade them or come along quietly.

It's a bit unethical and foolish, but the kitsune prayed that the circumstances led to battle. Because, by Kami, he was going to succeed, no matter what! After so many failed attempts, he was tired of going home empty-handed.

xXxXx

For the remainder of the week, Gaara had stayed relatively nonchalant and thoughtful like he always used to. His sister was happy to see this, because to her, it meant he had resolved enough of his inner turmoil to at least put up his usual front. True, she didn't like that the walls he put between himself and society were up and running like they had been for years. But it showed that Gaara didn't want people to worry about him.

She knew this was his was of being selfish; he didn't want to talk to anyone or have anyone ask about what was bothering him, so he kept all this thoughts, feelings, and words to himself. Why he disliked speaking so much, she never understood, but being his sister she always felt offended by it. This is one reason why she had been a bit glad when he hadn't been acting like himself; it allowed her to talk to him and allowed him to open up for a short while.

"Oi, Gaara! How's that paper work coming?" Kankurou called as he came bustling into Gaara's office at the end of the week. It was close to dinnertime, and Kankurou wanted to see if he could talk Gaara into joining them at the table. He had no self-assurance that he could get his younger brother to do this, but he wanted to try anyhow.

"Almost done," Gaara murmured in reply.

"Good, good! Then d'ya think you could come to dinner tonight? I cooked this time, so the food's not inedible," he added with a chuckle.

The redhead thought this over for a minute. It couldn't hurt, could it? So he nodded his head and finished off his work within seconds. He stood and followed his brother to the kitchen, all the while noticing how happy he made his brother by agreeing to join his siblings at dinner.

When Temari saw the two men enter, she smiled warmly. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

"Don't get used to it," Gaara muttered under his breath. Temari showed sign of having heard him, but Gaara didn't take it back. He knew this wouldn't become a frequent thing; but he felt that, given the odd circumstances, it was alright to indulge in a bit of their company. It calmed his nerves for some odd reason.

So, without truly meaning to, Gaara relaxed and made light conversation with his siblings while he ate, and tried his best not to let his mind wander.

xXxXx

He didn't know how much more of this he could take. Whilst part of his brain lingered on dissecting the hidden motives in Chiyo-baasama's dying wish ("please look after Gaara"), the rest of his brain attempted to wrap around the visual of Sakura charging, kunai in hand, at her former crush.

They found him. They had caught up with and actually trapped Uchiha Sasuke. He was surrounded with no where to go unless he shunshinned away. And he was not about to do something_ that_ cowardly. (Although running away from your own village to gain power is cowardly in it's own way.)

Anyhow, Naruto was having a difficult time with all the conflicts going on within him. The major one at present was how Sakura could be as determined and gutsy to attack as she was acting. After all, she was aiming for someone both she and Naruto held close to their hearts at some point in time.

Surely he couldn't stand by idly, his muscles immobile; but how could he join his pink-haired friend in a fight against the bastard? He thought he could do it – hell, he knew he could – and yet his body wasn't responding. He was suddenly hosting the urge to curl into a tight ball and rock with the foreign agony that was currently flooding through his veins.

"Naruto!" Sakura hollered as she was sent flying backward. She skidded to a halt. "I could use your help over here!"

"I could, too!" Kakashi chimed in. His voice was sharp and short, showing some kind of physical struggle behind it. It took Naruto a moment to realize that his sensei was fighting back against Sasuke's forces in order to stall for time so that Sakura could regain her footing and attack once more.

Steadily, Naruto regained his composure and willed his muscles to move. He flew into action, a pair of kunai snaking down from their hidden place in his sleeves. He gripped them tightly and flashed, as fast as the blink of an eye, out of sight. A millisecond later, he was at Sasuke's side. "Oi, long time no see," he said in a tone that was far from friendly. It was practically a snarl.

"Good to see you, too, Naruto," Sasuke said languidly, as if he felt no exhaustion, despite having fended off his former team leader minutes before. "Why have you all come after me?"

"For the same reason we always do!" Naruto barked in reply as he blocked a swing from Sasuke's sword. "To make you come back with us!"

"I will never come back with you," Sasuke growled. "You know that. I have my own team now, with my own ambitions, and it doesn't include returning to Konohagakure as a friend."

"I know," Naruto retorted, a hint of forlorn in his tone. "That's why we're going to take you back as a foe in chains, or even as a body bag."

"Is that so?" Sasuke said with interest. He dodged another of Naruto's attacks, seemingly with ease. "I'd like to see you try."

"Don't mind if I do!" Naruto roared. He summoned up the Rasengan, only in a slightly different form. The first time he tried it, the shuriken form had broken his arm, but not this time. He knew how to control it now, and it would definitely send Sasuke reeling.

For a brief second, Sasuke looked frightened. He looked terrified of the windy resemblance to one of his previous favorite weapons. The fear was gone from his otherwise stony expression within seconds, but for the time it had been there, Naruto noticed, and slowed down ever-so-slightly.

His hesitation was enough for Sasuke to slip around to behind Naruto. He still had that impossibly fast speed in his fighting, but Naruto had also gotten faster. Before Sasuke would think to turn the other way, Naruto whirled around and shoved the newly-crafted shuriken Rasengan in Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke flew backward into a tree, the breath rushing out of his lungs from the sheer force. He felt his teeth tear into his tongue; bitter, salty saliva rose behind his gums. His already open robes were sliced to pieces from that damn attack, making his shirt useless. There were now thin cuts across the expanse of his chest, not yet bleeding because his body hasn't had time to react. "Damn you, Naruto," Sasuke hissed as he stumbled to his feet on the thick branch of the tree he slammed into. He wiped his mouth of the saliva that arose when he bit his tongue. "You've been practicing your techniques. You've improved a great deal."

"You're damn right he has!" Sakura spat as she curved around the tree to knock Sasuke to the ground. Tears were in her eyes, and Naruto knew it wasn't from the wind hitting them. She swooped down and punched the ground near Sasuke's abdomen. She almost got him, too; but he rolled away at the last second. A flare of dust clouded the air as the ground shattered under her gloved knuckles.

"But he's still a dobe."

At least part of the old Sasuke was in there, Naruto thought vaguely. It's good to see that some things never change, even if they're insulting.

Sasuke glanced over at the hole the pinkette created. "My, my, Sakura, you've improved just as much as he has."

"Thank you," she said coldly. Her eyes looked pained, as if she were thinking of how nice it would have been if he had said something similar to her years ago in a softer tone. She would have felt all bubbly inside if that had been the case. But it wasn't, so it stung in a way that she couldn't describe.

Sasuke stood up, the wounds on his chest finally bleeding thin trails down his belly towards his legs. He didn't wobble; he was too proud to wobble. But he shook with the smallest of tremors down his arms, which made his fingers twitch. He cracked his neck. "I've gotten better, too."

And with that said, he made a hand signal too quick to spot, and the world began to teeter on its axis. "He's using his Sharingan," Kakashi informed his students as he approached them during the initial phase of Sasuke's illusion. "Stay on your guard. I have a bad feeling that his will be worse than what we encountered with his brother while trying to rescue the Kazekage."

The blonde gulped. He agreed with his sensei.

"What should we do?" Sakura whispered, watching as the world closed around them and began to reform itself. "I keep trying to dispel of it, but it's not working."

Kakashi shook his head as he formed a tight triangle between them, back-to-back-to-back. "It wouldn't. Being a real Uchiha, he's far better at the Sharingan than I am. He's ten times more powerful when using it, so he knows how to make it impossible to dispel. It's a good trick."

"So we just have to battle it out, dattebayo?" Naruto ventured in a low voice as he glanced around. He could hear his heart thumping in his ears. He could feel the adrenaline dancing in his blood. He could even sense Kyuubi stirring in the pit of his stomach as the seal on his tummy burned dully.

"Yes, that's what we have to do."

Naruto gave a twisted smile that thankfully no one could see. He was grateful for this illusion, actually; it allowed him to fight in a blissfully unaware manner in which he cannot see the face of his 'brother of the past'. (Because Sasuke was, after all, nothing but a faded brother figure in Naruto's heart from years and years ago.)

"_Excellent_," he said darkly, "Because now I know we can win."

His eyes shimmered crimson and he licked his sharpened canine teeth. With a twitch of his clawed fingers, Naruto ran blindly forward.

* * *

**FOOTNOTE:  
The song Gaara sang and about it suiting his voice is a little joke. You see, 'But But But' is a song for Slayers sung by none other than Akira Ishida, whom is Gaara's voice actor. In the song, he sounds a bit too happy to be Gaara, but you can tell that it's his wonderfully deep voice. Ah, how I love that song. Up until I went looking for the lyrics for this part of my fanfic, however, did I discover what the lyrics were when translated to English. XD (it amuses me)**


	3. PART III: To Finish Off With

**A/N: Phew! AT LAST! The final (and longest) part of this fanfic. I hope you people enjoy this one, 'cause it's by far my favorite. XD**

* * *

The small group arrived in Sunagakure with numerous injuries and a black body bag in tow.

Many of the villagers of Suna watched in shock and awe, realizing that this wasn't the first time such a parade came storming through. They parted like the Red Sea and allowed for the group to come up to the doors of the Kazekage mansion. The procession was taken to the hospital while the body bag was taken inside the mansion.

When the news first came to him, Gaara stood violently in panic. "Who is in the body bag?" he demanded in a harsh tone, his eyes shining with something akin to worry.

"Um, they didn't say…" Kankurou murmured.

Angry with the lack of information, Gaara stormed down stairs into the chamber below the building where war prisoners and other things are held in secret. He found the bag there, but there wasn't a dead person inside; there was a sealed one. A body bound by invisible threads to make it unable to attack.

"Uchiha," Gaara spat, his tone menacingly low. "I have to say, I'm disappointed to see you alive."

Sasuke scowled, but part of the seal made so he couldn't speak. Even words could be dangerous, it seemed.

Satisfied that the body in the black bag had not been Naruto's lifeless corpse, the redhead turned on his heel and left the room, leaving the Uchiha to the guards. He had no wounds, Gaara noticed; had he been so skilled as to not gain any? Unless, perhaps, Haruno had healed him out of pity and for the sake of her previous relationship with the raven-haired bastard, which was far more likely. No one was such a perfect ninja that they never earned a single wound. Even Gaara got hurt, despite the phenomenal defenses from the time when Shukaku had been a part of him.

When Gaara returned to the topside, he sought out Naruto at the hospital. He knew with Sakura's astonishing power to heal people from near-death to better than ever, paired with Kyuubi's vast amount of chakra, Naruto should have any wounds he had gotten in battle healed by now. Clearly no wounds he received were enough to kill him, which in itself put Gaara at ease.

He found the blonde outside of Sakura's ward. "She overdid it," he told Gaara gloomily as he approached. He didn't need to even look at the redhead to know who he was. "But she saved our lives."

"Follow me," Gaara muttered. His heart pounded in his chest as he said the words.

Naruto nodded as he reluctantly tore his cerulean orbs from the window leading into the room where one of his best friends resided.

Gaara took Naruto up to the roof of the hospital where the breeze was heavier and the air was drier. The rustling of grains of sand met Naruto's ears. "So, what are we up here for?"

"I want you to relay to me what happened," Gaara replied. He wasn't going to write a report or anything formal; on the contrary, he was curious. Especially since Naruto and the gang seemed to have succeeded in bringing Sasuke home as a prisoner.

"Oh," Naruto breathed out. He was comforted by the fact that Gaara didn't drag him up here to talk about what happened a few weeks ago when he was in this village preceding this time. He chuckled nervously. "It's not pretty, and I'm so shaken up from it that even I don't remember half the details."

"Tell me nonetheless," Gaara said curtly.

Naruto smiled in a painful way like he had some times before, perhaps around the moment of Gaara's return from death. Only when the redhead looked back on it, that certain smile held the aura of holding back happy tears. This new smile held the aura of holding back angry (or possibly regretful?) tears.

"Well, in the beginning, it took a while to locate his scent. Kakashi-sensei used his dog pals to sniff Sasuke-teme out. When one of them caught a whiff, we pursued, and in no time we came across him. He trapped him and pinned him, and rattled off a bunch of small attack, but they weren't enough. He temporarily got away. When he did, he conjured up this huge genjutsu, and it nearly got us. I thought for sure that we'd fall victim to it, Sakura-can and I. But then Kakashi-sensei stepped in and told us what to do. 'We have to fight it,' he said. And suddenly, I don't know, this huge wave washed over me, Gaara. It was insane. I knew it was that damn furball's cloak, but I felt totally in control. It was like one of those first times that I used it with actual control; and against Sasuke, no less. But that was years ago, so I honestly didn't think I'd reach that same level of control again, 'ttebayo. But I did, and I'm not ashamed to say that I went psycho on his ass – in a good way."

Gaara nodded his head faintly. Already a picture was forming in his mind.

"I leapt at him. Somehow I knew right where he was – some kind of internal instinct, I guess – and I started attacking him with everything I had. I couldn't see him, but I could feel my fists and feet connecting with a warm body, so I knew I was hitting him. The genjutsu wavered a bit, and then strengthened as I lost him. It didn't last long. Sakura-chan starting making a choking noise, along with Kakashi-sensei. I turned around and saw them being strangled by something, and I think I went a little deeper into that demon-fox state, because the next thing I knew, I was flying across the imagined world and tearing the fake stranglers from my comrades."

Gaara watched as Naruto began to pace and didn't stop. His eyes followed Naruto's frame, which was stripped of some of it's clothes due to heat and most likely post-battle blood and slashes. He was dressed solely in his pants and sandals, with nothing adorning his upper body save for a blue crystal necklace. Gaara forced himself to redraw his eyes back to Naruto's face, but it was difficult. Shouldn't someone have given him new clothes? Gaara wondered. Without meaning to, his eyes dipped back down while Naruto spoke and noted the seal showing on the other boy's abs. It looked… strange. Intricate, as it very well should be, but strange. Was it missing pieces? Maybe, with all of the demon fox fueled attacks, Naruto was slowly wearing down his own seal, the same shield that's saving him from being fully taken over by the beast inside of him.

That idea made Gaara inwardly cringe with fear. Not for himself, nor for any of the villagers, but for Naruto. More specifically, Naruto's _life_.

The blonde continued, "I don't know how long I fought with unreal enemies. At one point, I locked on Sasuke's whereabouts and I went after him, leaving Sakura-chan to fend for herself while Kakashi-sensei attempted to counteract Sasuke's Sharingan trick with his own.

"When I got to Sasuke again, he decided to show himself to me. He had made fun of me before he pulled that dumb Sharingan trick, but he didn't bother this time. He sounded furious with me, dattebayo. Heh, I guess it's because I was actually on par with him. Anyway, he showed himself and scowled at me. 'How come you keep finding me?' he asked. I told him it was because I have a demon on my side. He rolled his eyes. 'Ah yes, the wretched nine tails. Because of that monster, you have unlimited power.' He launched himself at me, but in my state I was too fast. I scratched him with my bare hands, making four deep gashes on his leg. He didn't do more than grunt. 'You know, I always thought of that as cheating. We can't all be Jinchuuriki, you know.' He was mocking me, I know it. And it pissed me off. So I told him that we can't all be assholes, either, yet we still manage. He laughed, but he wasn't a nice laugh. It was like he was playing with me. It pissed me off even more, so I jumped at him. We tumbled for a bit, and the genjutsu wavered again. I could see it shifting in my peripheral vision. What sucked was that I was suddenly fighting a tree. Stupid Sasuke used an old substitution jutsu on me when I let my guard down for a second. I grew even madder… and that's when I started to lose control."

Gaara swallowed. He could picture it, but barely. It was hard to see Naruto as some mindless beast. It was hard to see him as a creature as bloodthirsty as Gaara's younger self had been. He shuddered minutely, so minutely that Naruto didn't notice. He cautiously watched Naruto's face, which filled with a few different expressions at once; proud triumph, self disgust, and unconditional fear. Gaara knew all of those emotions all too well.

Naruto cleared his throat. "I don't really know what happened next, just that it felt like it wasn't ever going to end. My mind went blank except for the sole purpose of defeating Sasuke and protecting my comrades. The next thing I know, it was minutes or hours later, and I was exhausted beyond belief, and Sakura-chan was above me with her hands on my chest. 'You can finish healing on your own, now that you're awake.' I asked her what had happened. She made a face at me, and it wasn't a good sign. Then, she told me, 'Well… um… you kinda went haywire. I think if you hadn't stopped yourself, Sasuke-kun would be dead.'"

Gaara wished he had died. He clenched his fists to suppress any expression that might leak onto his face.

"She left and went back to healing Sasuke the rest of the way. Kakashi-sensei came over to check on me and informed me of how we were going to bring Sasuke back: he was going to use a seal on Sasuke that he learned from Ero-Sannin and then stuff Sasuke in a body bag so that no one suspects anything. When we go back to Konoha, we'll present him as dead and secretly hold him captive for a while in Tsunade-baachan's war prisoner chambers, like the ones you have here. 'Our ANBU will watch over him from there on out,' Kakashi-sensei said. 'And once Sasuke-kun is proclaimed safe, we'll tell the public what really happened and let him roam Konoha freely again. If he gets to that point, that is.' But I think he will, don't you?"

The Kazekage actually hoped he didn't get to that point, but he nodded his head nonetheless. It would comfort Naruto, he knew, and that was all he needed to know in order to respond. He cared about Naruto so much he was willing to lie about his actual sentiments towards the Uchiha. Amazing, ne?

Naruto yawned. "Man, I'm so tired. Hey, Gaara, do you mind if I leave? I want to rest a couple hours before dinner. I'll see you later," he said casually. He hadn't forgotten what Gaara's feelings for him were, but for now Naruto wanted to prolong that devastating conversational topic for as long as possible.

The redhead nodded and watched Naruto leave. Then, after one last look at the horizon, Gaara reentered the hospital and clamored down it's stairs to the front doors. He was silently looking forward to tonight, because he felt that he was going to get the answer he was left without during the last time Naruto had visited.

xXxXx

Sasuke was uncooperative with everyone, even the people who were more or less gentle to him, like Sakura. He seemed to be a hopeless case. Still after a healing session in the hospital, Sakura had gone down in the middle of dinner hour to talk to the stubborn teenager. She even brought him food, like she had done many times in the past.

"Humph," the raven-haired boy grunted as soon as she entered.

They had Sasuke unbound from the seal. He was still bound by handcuffs bolted into the wall (the chains were strong enough to probably even hold Naruto, which is saying something). The guards opened his cell and allowed the pinkette inside. She exhaled and took a step inside. She held up the meal she had brought. "Hello, Sasuke-kun. Hungry?" she asked.

"Humph," he repeated, indifferent as ever.

She pulled a face but soon smothered it again. She came closer, cautiously, as if she feared he would jump up and snap at her like a rabid dog.

"For cripes sake," Sasuke muttered lowly as he rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to do anything. Just get over here and feed me. I am hungry, thanks."

At least he sounded like the cranky Sasuke she remembered. Sort of.

Sakura came to Sasuke's side and handed him the tray. The guard had locked her in the cell with him, and even gave her keys to his handcuffs. If he were to try and pull a hostage situation, the guards knew, it wouldn't be a problem so long as the cell was locked. Sakura could beat him into a pulp if she had to, so it wasn't an issue.

Carefully, Sakura unlocked Sasuke's shackles and handed him a pair of chopsticks. She cocked her head at him warily, as if debating on whether or not he would be able to be trusted again in the future.

"What?' Sasuke snapped at her after he ate a couple bites. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She scooted away a few inches. She looked down at the flooring, which was a dismal grey like all of the other dungeons out there (which was essentially the place they were in: a dungeon). "Nothing, Sasuke-kun," she murmured under her breath.

"Hn," Sasuke hummed, "I bet not. It's always 'nothing' with you. Before, it was because you were shy like all stupid girls are when they have a crush. Now you're simply scared shitless of me."

Sakura's seaglass-green eyes flashed for a moment. "I am _not_ afraid of you," she retorted, emphasizing the word 'not'. "And for your information, I don't have to be here. I only am because I thought that if you had a friend with you, you might be more willing to cooperate with us."

Sasuke didn't say anything at first, merely ate more of his food on the dinner tray, chewing slowly.

Sakura flushed with frustration. With a bite to her soft lower lip, she adverted her eyes. She couldn't stand the remaining Uchiha now. Her breast ached as if her heart was being squeezed, but it wasn't because she loved him any longer. To an extent, he would always be her first love, but he no longer held that special place in her. A better man deserved that place; a man that would treat her right and would never betray or abandon her. Someone like Naruto, but on a different scale since he was like the friend she needed to lean on.

Finally, after a swallow, Sasuke spoke. "I will cooperate if you let me walk with you in through the gates."

Sakura snorted. "Nice try, Sasuke-kun, but you know we can't do that. You're a traitor in everyone's eyes, despite the complicated facts we were told about your clan. Truth is, no one wants to trust you any longer. We have to bring you in tied up and leave you that way for a while. It's for everyone's own good."

Sasuke frowned. "What's the point, anyway? Why bother to bring me back? It's clear that I don't want to be apart of Konoha any longer, so why reach for a goal that is pointless? I could always leave again."

"Yes…" she admitted distantly, her throat closing and aching as if she were about to cry, "You're right; you could always leave again." His words cut her deeply. Not solely because he was being cold and cruel; no, it went further than that. Inside, she knew this was true. She knew that this mission was basically a lost cause. But… "We have to keep reaching for you despite that, however." She cleared her throat to make her voice sound more like her own. "You were someone we grew up with, befriended, laughed with, fought with, and stuck by. We know who you were, and what you were like. And we miss that part of you. We want things to be like how they were – not completely, since nothing ever can be – but close enough to the point where we can live peacefully. Plus," she added a bit dryly, "Naruto made a promise to me that he'd bring you back. And you know how Naruto is about promises."

He did know. In a way, it infuriated him, and in another it made him respect the blonde dobe.

"Honestly, Sasuke-kun, I just wanted to see you again. When we first saw you a while back… well, that had been enough for me. It made me decide some things inside myself, so it was enough. Yet, at the same time, it wasn't. Not for Naruto, anyhow. He wanted more; he wanted to have you back for my sake, but also for his. He wanted his brother back. You do know that he thinks of you that way, don't you? He loves you. In a weird way, he truly loves you."

Sasuke didn't want to hear any of this. Somewhere in the depths of his heart, it hurt to hear those words. It was like a guilt trip she was trying to set upon his shoulders, and he wasn't about to take it. "Oh yeah? He loves me?" he replied with mock skepticism. He harrumphed again. "Well, I don't care about him. I never have. I told him before: I severed my bonds with him long ago."

"Really?" Sakura tested. There was a certain spark in her eye. "Because I think you didn't."

With that, she picked up Sasuke's empty tray and left him in his cell to ponder their conversation, unchained and motionless with guards at the ready nearby.

xXxXx

The kitsune was in a pickle. It was a very serious pickle, and as funny as that sounded, it was true. The whole mess with Gaara he knew needed to be concluded in some way, but he didn't know how to go about it! Round and round in circles his thoughts went, mostly in a basic-fact-with-thoughts-behind-it pattern like this:

He liked Gaara (as a friend… he thought so, anyway). He cared about Gaara (but how much, exactly?). He didn't want to hurt Gaara (especially not emotionally, since the redhead has suffered too much of that kind of pain already). He knew that a romantic relationship could ruin a friendship (unless he was to stay with Gaara forever).

Problem is, he didn't know some of the vital answers, like: how much he cared about Gaara, and if he was willing to stay with the redhead for the rest of his life. Because, realistically, unless Gaara's feelings faded (which Naruto was sure they wouldn't, seeing as how the redhead was the kind of person that made up his mind and stuck with it unless a head butt was called for), Gaara wouldn't leave Naruto, and if Naruto were to leave him, it would probably end with a devastated Gaara who could do unthinkable things.

Naruto shuddered. He didn't want that to happen. If it did, his world would be flipped upside-down, and not in a pleasant way.

With his fingernails being cut into nubs by his teeth, Naruto paced the floor of his hotel room. He started saying 'dattebayo' nearly every sentence because of his nervousness. "What should I do, 'ttebayo? I really don't want to hurt him in the future or later tonight, so I have to be honest with him and hope that he takes it well, dattebayo. I mean, if I think about it, it wouldn't be all that bad; I don't know why, but being with Gaara sounds kind of…" he drifted off, shocked at his own words.

How could this be? He was never interested in boys – and thought he never would be! – and yet he was interested in his red-haired friend. Why was that? How did it get to this state? Did it have something to do with the strange soulful bond he felt with the young Kazekage? Did it have to do with the teeny fact that, weird combination of features aside, Naruto found Gaara attractive? This last fact was a small, buried one he kept from himself up until now. When t he thought first arose, Naruto thought of it as one of those things people do when comparing other people of the same gender. Girls do it all time; they glance at other girls' facial features in comparison to their own, or at other girl's breast sizes. Guys do the same thing, with the exception of the breast comparison thing. (They obviously compared something much farther south.)

But, perhaps… perhaps there was more to it. Perhaps Gaara meant something else to Naruto, and the attraction in turn meant something else. Wait, attraction? There's a difference between finding someone attractive and feeling attraction to that person. Which did Naruto mean, then? He was beginning to confuse himself.

"Ai~ya!" Naruto groaned in frustration as he collapsed facedown onto the hotel bed. Muffled by the sheets, he lamented to himself, "This is harder than I thought."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Naruto lifted his head in one swift, dizzying movement. What if it was Gaara? He panicked, his heart racing in his chest. Cautiously, he got up from the bed and forced a shaky smile to his lips. He opened the door.

Sakura greeted him with an odd expression on her face. "Hullo, Naruto." Her tone matched her face.

But Naruto took no note of this. His heart immediately ceased it's rapid beating and his smile softened into a genuine one. "Phew! I thought you were Gaara. I nearly had a heart attack, 'ttebayo!"

"Sorry to disappoint you," she said in that same odd voice. She stepped inside as the blonde closed the door behind her. She shut her eyes and sighed. "But I'm not Gaara-sama, and I have something else entirely to talk to you about."

He was about to remark how he wasn't disappointed but actually relieved when he recognized her tone. Finally, Naruto noticed the look on her face and knew what it meant. "This is about Sasuke-teme, isn't it?"

She nodded solemnly.

Naruto's face fell to a grim, serious expression to match hers. He sat down on the bed and patted the space beside him. "Tell me everything, Sakura-chan. I'm here for you."

It was times like this that Sakura remembered why she loved Naruto. Not romantically, of 'course, but in that friendly manner that people feel when they meet and spend time with someone for so long that they almost feel related to that person, only not quite. It was such a big comfort to her to have that sort of relationship with the demon container before her.

She came to sit beside the blonde, her body coming down so hard on the mattress it squeaked beneath her. Sakura bit her lip to stop it from quivering. "He's… so different, Naruto. And yet he's the same. I don't know how to explain it. Just now, I came back from his holding cell. I had delivered his dinner to him, and we talked a little. It hurt me so bad to be there, knowing that we – well, mostly you – beat him and were taking him by force to carry out a mission that is pretty much pointless."

Naruto, for once, didn't have anything to say. He merely put his arm around her and cradled her to his chest. If the times had been different – say, if this had happened a few months ago, maybe as much as a year – he would have loved holding her this way, because it was the kind of closeness one craves from one's crush. But he didn't feel that way about her any longer. He acted like it sometimes, but he realized now that it was more out of habit. Naruto began to stroke her cherry blossom pink hair, which felt silky between his Rasengan-calloused fingers.

She choked on a sob. She didn't want to cry over Sasuke. She has done it for so long that she was tired of it. He didn't deserve her tears, she told herself. Over and over she told herself that she wasn't in love with him any longer, that he was a jerk that was a complete waste of her time. Yet… "While walking back to my hotel room, I realized that I still love him, Naruto. It's foolish, I know, but for some reason I can't let him go. There's this tiny part inside me that has hope. It hopes that one day – I don't care how far away – he'll act like how he used to, and maybe return my feelings." She allowed a few tears to escape, and used Naruto's t-shirt (it was a fresh one he got on after unpacking a change of clothes) as a hankie to wipe them. "Am I only setting myself up for heartbreak?"

For a second, Naruto didn't know how to respond. He thought the question could be rhetorical. But when Sakura lifted her watery eyes to meet his, he realized she wanted a real answer. He hesitated. "I don't want to get you angry, but I think you might be. Sasuke is… _difficult_," he supplied, but it wasn't the right word. He didn't know what the correct word was to describe how Sasuke acted, but 'difficult' was close enough.

Sakura didn't get mad. She nodded. "That's what I thought."

Naruto pulled her closer to him again, shifting so that she was at a more comfortable angle. "It'll be alright, Sakura-chan. We'll be able to handle Sasuke. We just need time. I think he'll come around eventually, don't you?"

She smiled weakly and nodded into his chest as she brought her arms around his waist. "Yeah, I like to hope so. After all, no one changes for the worst completely, right? They always hold a bit of goodness in them somewhere. It just takes some coaxing to get it out."

"Or some knocking," Naruto grinned, thinking of Gaara. The redhead was a gentle child, Naruto assumed, only he lost his way. So, later on, it took a little force to knock sense back into him to make him gentle once more.

There his thoughts go again, returning to his second major hurdle to jump in his life. He already jumped the 'bring back Sasuke' hurdle, which had been in his path for a long while. Now that it was crossed, he was left to deal with the other people in his life. Other people who, by the by, started to fall in love with him without him realizing it.

Naruto sighed at these thoughts, and Sakura noticed. She pulled away form his embrace and sat up. As she wiped her face clean of tears and dabbed her puffy eyes, she ventured, "You're thinking of him, aren't you?"

"Who, Sasuke?"

"No. Gaara-sama." Sakura clarified.

The blonde adverted his richly blue eyes. He scanned the room as if it were much more interesting than the topic at hand.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. Her own thoughts were on the boy she liked, and she bet Naruto's were the same. "You are thinking of him, or else you wouldn't get all quiet like that. What's on your mind?"

"It doesn't matter, Sakura-chan. Honest. Let's worry about Sasu–"

"No," Sakura said sternly. "We have plenty of time to talk about him; he'll be in Konoha probably for the rest of his life, if he doesn't escape and run off again. But we're only going to be in Sunagakure for a few more days, so we need to settle this issue now."

Naruto fumbled with his hands and felt a small wave of heat rise to his cheeks. He sighed. "Yeah, you're absolutely right. B-but I don't know how to settle it, dattebayo!"

"It's easy," Sakura assured him, "All you have to do if tell him how you feel. He'll understand."

"But I don't know how I feel!" he burst out. He got to his feet and began to gesture wildly, all the while not looking at Sakura's tear-stained face. "You at least know that your feelings for Sasuke haven't changed, but I'm not sure if my feelings are changing for Gaara for if they were always like this! – Er, well, not necessarily _always,_ since I was scared of him when I first met him, but…" He lost his steam. He didn't know where to go. "I feel so weird, so unlike myself. It's confusing."

Sakura smiled out of the blue. She stood and stifled a laugh. "You sound exactly like how he did."

"Like how who did?" the blonde asked dumbly.

"Like how Gaara-sama did, silly. He was confused for the same reason. He doesn't feel like himself around you, either, and he got confused. I doubt he even knows when it started. So if you feel the same, then that means…" she prompted. She waited for him to finish her sentence.

With an epiphany-like facial expression, Naruto blinked and sputtered softly, "Then that means that I'm in love with him?!"

Sakura nodded her head, her smile growing. "Funny how things work out, huh?"

Naruto blinked, his head turning downward. He stared at the floor as his hands fell to his sides. "Yeah… funny…"

In love? With Gaara? But why? Sure, he was charming in a mysterious way, and he was handsome, and brave and understood Naruto's pain, but are those really reasons to love someone? Gaara also listened to Naruto's ramblings, so matter how stupid, and always seemed engrossed in the lengthy stories, but was that a reason to love someone? He enjoyed Gaara's company, and felt protective of him, but are those reasons to love?

Naruto's head swam. It was as if everything was falling into place as he started accepting his pink-haired friend's words.

"I have to tell him," he whispered, his eyes still locked on nothing. He was in a daze.

Sakura patted him on the shoulder. "That would be best."

"Tonight?"

"As soon as possible, yes."

He agreed. It seemed logical enough. He looked at Sakura, his eyes focused and his hazy mind cleared. He smiled lopsidedly. "I'm in for a rough night, aren't I?"

She chuckled. "I would think so. Things could get messy."

Naruto looked at her quizzically. "You're not thinking…?"

Her face looked stricken. "Heavens, no! Jeez, Naruto, pull your mind out of the gutter! I just meant your emotions!"

Naruto released a breathy laugh that signified he was both embarrassed and apologetic. "I was just kidding." He exhaled loudly. "Well, I better get this over with before I lose my confidence."

"See you later. Tell me how it goes."

"Trust me, you'll be the first person to know," Naruto said with a thumbs up. Outwardly, he looked so self-assured and ready. But inwardly, he was quaking clear down to his toes and his stomach was rolling in his abdomen like a trapeze artist. The combination of Sakura's emotional distress mixed with his own doubts was enough to make him want to hurl.

It's a good thing he hadn't eaten dinner yet.

xXxXx

The young Kazekage felt him drawing near before he saw him. Normally Naruto masks his presence like all great shinobi do, but this time around he didn't bother, and distantly Gaara wondered why. However, he didn't linger on the teeny aspect of this; because once he saw Naruto's facial expression, he didn't care about anything else. And that in itself was a rare thing to occur.

"Naruto," Gaara mused aloud, "Something's wrong." It wasn't a question. He knew that something was off-kilter with his friend, and he didn't like it.

"Gaara…" Naruto said breathlessly. He had run the entire way here, although he wasn't about to admit it to the redhead. "There's something… I need to tell you…" he panted.

Gaara shook his head and gestured to the chair in his office. They were small movements that read, 'Not yet. Catch your breath first, and then tell me what it is you wish to say.'

The blonde nodded and came over to the chair in front of Gaara's desk. He sat down and put a hand to his chest to calm his racing heart and lungs. Although, once his lungs were regulated, his heart appeared to like beating slightly faster in Gaara's company.

Due to the sudden rush of blood to his cheeks and drumming heart, Naruto knew that Sakura had been correct. Why else would he be feeling this way? Sure, he was nervous, but that seemed to prove the point all the more. Boy, what he wouldn't give to have control over himself. It was strange finding out that he was in love with Gaara; it was like finding out that a candy he used to not like very much became something he got addicted to and couldn't let go of, especially now that he knew he liked it.

Maybe candy was a bad analogy. Ramen sounded better. He used to think ramen was nothing but noodles in broth, but once he tried it, well… everyone knew how that story ended.

Whatever the analogy, Naruto felt himself in that situation: the second that things fell into place, he didn't want to change it.

Gaara leant against his desk patiently as Naruto thought all of this over and caught his breath. The redhead didn't show how eager he was to hear what Naruto had to say. Without having to be told or hinted to, he could tell that the 'news' Naruto wanted to share had to do with the _recent mishap _between them.

Finally, Naruto gathered up his courage and told Gaara what he had to say as he stared directly into his aquamarine eyes. "I think I've been in love with you for a while now without realizing it."

The words had tumbled messily out of his mouth, and Naruto had to stop himself from blurting 'dattebayo' at the end as was his nature to do so when speaking quickly. But he knew his words made sense and was the truth; after all, if it hadn't been love, then what else propelled him to act the way he did when Gaara was kidnapped and killed?

Steadily, the words began to seep in. Gaara's eyes grew wide in the same shocked manner they had when he returned from death. His grip on the desk wavered as he slid off of the wooden surface. "Love…?" he whispered. He was confused, overjoyed, and wanting to scream in glee and cry all at once. But his brain didn't know which of these to follow, so Gaara merely fell silent and soft-faced, as if he were in a dreamy haze.

"So…" Naruto murmured as he pointed his fingers together very Hinata-like, "You accept my feelings, right? Since you… _you know_… already said that you feel the same?"

Gaara's eyes glanced in Naruto's direction and locked there, held in place merely by Naruto's craving for reassurance. He has never done anything like this before – let alone to another boy – so it was awkward for him. He needed to know that things were going to be okay between him and the post-Jinchuuriki. His heart pounded harder in his chest with the anxiety of not knowing the answer to his previous question.

A rare event occurred then: Gaara smiled. It was a much bigger smile than the slight, hardly noticeable one he had given Naruto when they first shook hands goodbye. It was a warm, welcome smile, and somewhat misplaced on the Kazekage's face. "Yes, Naruto," he said calmly, "I accept your feelings."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as his heart regulated. He offered a smile of his own, which he shared opening. "Man, and here I thought you could've changed your mind and I was going to be let down."

"I would never let you down," Gaara told him. It's a phrase normally Naruto would use, but Gaara knew in his heart that he was capable of keeping that promise. He'd already taken on the role of Kazekage to prove to Naruto that he'd changed; what more could he do than promise he'd be there for Naruto? He had such a great debt to the blonde, so he figured it was a start.

"I'm glad," Naruto replied as he stood and stepped closer, "Because I didn't want to let you down, either. That's why I took so long deciding what to do about this… about _us_," he confessed. He took one of Gaara's hands in his; Naruto vaguely noted that Gaara didn't flinch at his touch like he would at anyone else's. "And once I spoke to Sakura-chan, she made me see the same thing she made you see: that I cared about you a lot more than I originally thought." He laughed weakly. "I wonder if we can make it work, 'ttebayo? You get awfully busy, and I live kind of far away…"

Gaara reached a hand up gingerly, experimentally. He brushed the bangs from Naruto's eyes. "I believe we can," he said seriously.

Gaara's fingers were cool on Naruto's skin, and were so light that he almost didn't notice them. Between them, in their intertwined hands, he felt Gaara shaking. He wanted to remove the redhead's discomfort and had an itch to do so by giving him a kiss.

"If you think we can, then here's the first test: don't move," he said lowly, his voice soft. Now, Naruto wasn't an expert on kissing; he's never really had much of a chance, and when he had, it wasn't right. It was either an accident or unwanted or both. So, carefully, he lifted Gaara's chin as the redhead went rigid-still and leaned in. He saw Gaara's eyelids involuntarily close before he shut his own and timidly touched his lips.

The redhead stifled the nagging urge to distance himself from the kitsune. This close of contact was basically forbidden; Gaara never indulged in much of any human contact, let alone something as intimate as an embrace or a kiss. In fact, he had never kissed anyone before, and to his memory, no one had ever kissed him. And yet Naruto was in this very instant.

On the opposing side, Naruto stifled the urge to sigh pleasantly. Gaara's lips were delicate and thin, but the perfect shape to his own plumper lips. And Gaara's body was warm in Naruto's arms, and his thinly robed chest was within centimeters from his own. Oh, how he wanted to close that distance. It was abnormal for him to feel this way for his friend, but Naruto wasn't caring at the moment. It felt as though this was how it should be. Was that what made two people soul mates? When things just click between them? Naruto didn't know. But he was wiling to find out.

Carefully, so that he didn't startle the other boy, Naruto started moving his lips. He slid them over Gaara's and tried to bend his lips to his will so that they moved in synchronicity with his own. It took a few seconds, but Gaara was a fast learner. He mimicked and adapted the blonde's movements.

To them, it felt bizarre and blissful, not to mention addicting. Naturally, it wasn't enough. Naruto added his tongue into the movements, and following a bit of initial surprise, Gaara joined in. He didn't understand it in the least, but it felt nice to be treated in this dizzyingly romantic manner, so Gaara hardly minded. He let Naruto do as he willed, and didn't make a single fuss about it.

"Gaara," Naruto breathed as he broke for air. He had been tempted to keep taking those short breaths between movements and tiny inhales and exhales through his nostrils, but it wasn't working very well. He was new at this, and so far he didn't know how to kiss and still be able to breathe without making his lungs scream for oxygen.

"Hn?" the redhead hummed as he, too, breathed heavily. He wasn't as out of breath as Naruto, having had practice most of his life with holding his breath when air supply ran short in his little sand bubble of 'absolute defense'.

Naruto's blue eyes were clouded with raging hormones. He felt high from Gaara's scent and warmth. "I don't know when to stop," he admitted bluntly.

The redhead flushed as he understood Naruto's meaning. Naruto didn't know when to stop _making a move_. He clearly wanted more than this; he was needy for contact, and everyone knew the unbreakable-bond-forming, skin-to-skin contact was the best kind there was.

"It's fine," Gaara murmured, "If you go too far, I'll stop you myself."

Naruto smiled, which was his was of saying, 'okay' and 'thank you'. Not wanting to rush it, the blonde tugged the redhead over to the loveseat (what an appropriate name for a two-seater couch!) in the corner of his office. He locked the door so they wouldn't get caught (no one liked to be caught; it was much too embarrassing). Then, once he returned to his newfound love, Naruto didn't hesitate to reconnect their lips.

These tender kisses, Gaara found, were becoming a necessity. They've only just begun, and already he was growing used to it and craved more. So the redhead allowed Naruto to carry the experience further as the other boy's nimble fingers caressed his body through his Kazekage robes. The touch, even through clothing, lit burning trails all over him. He shivered delightfully as goosebumps arose. Why did this feel so good? Gaara wondered to himself. He has never felt something any where near this sort of tingling pleasure. Who knew such oddities existed? (In retrospect, the answer was obvious: lovers knew such oddities were around.)

"Why didn't we do this sooner?" Naruto mused aloud partially to himself and partially to Gaara. He kissed at the hollow of the redhead's throat, making the other gasp. His heart was still banging around in his chest, and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears, but the nervousness had vanished. He felt as though he belonged here, half-lying on Gaara, showering him with touches and love that he'd been deprived of his entire life. Touches and love that _both _of them have been deprived of all their lives.

Here, in this teeny space, Naruto knew he could protect Gaara. Because even now he got nightmares on occasion, nightmares that relived those horrifying moments when he feared Gaara was dead and found out that he was dead. Gaara, his most precious person, gone forever? The mere thought made Naruto want to cry. And when he awoke from those nightmares, all he could do was sob into his pillow until sleep came again. Losing the people he loved was not an option. That's why he had to get Sasuke back. And why he had to help Chiyo-baasama bring Gaara back.

That's why…

"Mmn."

Naruto's thoughts were cut off by a tiny noise, something low and drowsy and content. He knew it had not come from his own vocal cords; it came from the person directly below him.

Sensing the pair of eyes on him, Gaara opened his own eyes and blinked. He realized, after a short moment, why Naruto had paused. "Did… did I just do that?"

Naruto wanted to crack a smile, even chuckle. To save Gaara the embarrassment of being laughed at, he bit is lip. "Yeah," he managed to say.

The confusion passed as Gaara seemed to shrug it off and drag Naruto back down. Their lips met, said a greeting, and then departed again as Gaara leaned up to lay a peck on the side of Naruto's neck. A jolt of excitement ran through Naruto's system. The hairs on his neck rose as the spot where Gaara kissed practically prickled.

"Do that again," the blonde dared in a husky whisper.

"If you insist."

Gaara maneuvered around the blonde so that Naruto lay on his back on the couch instead. Hovering above the kitsune, Gaara grew less confident of himself. He wasn't sure where to attack. So he went with the first place he touched, being Naruto's neck. It was an odd sensation, this craving that was beginning to gather and fill the redhead's insides; it was unlike anything else, although it made him think a little bit of when Shukaku's power would fill him. Only this was different, and much more enjoyable.

As Gaara's pale lips connected with Naruto's tan skin, vulnerable and warm, the redhead felt Naruto's hands fly into his hair. There was a small tug at his scalp, but otherwise it was fine. So Gaara kept going, all the while feeling Naruto's fingers tread through his crimson locks.

When he reached the top of Naruto's shirt, Gaara tensed. The fabric felt rough compared to Naruto's collar bone. And it smelled of fabric softener instead of the savory scents emitting from his skin. The redhead frowned and, without asking, started yanking off the blonde's shirt.

Naruto didn't mind. In fact, he helped the young Kazekage take off the annoying layer of clothing because it felt too good for it to stop. Tossed to the floor, forgotten, the shirt became a piece of history. Now there was a whole new expanse of skin to explore, and unable to control himself, Gaara bent to his hormones' will and started to feel his way around. He wanted to memorize Naruto's body, not caring how long it took.

At first, he was careful, as if the slightest wrong touch would cause Naruto to bleed. It was a very different style than the crush-and-kill methods of his youth. But when it came to loving someone in this manner, Gaara was a newbie, so he wanted to go slowly to both savor and experiment.

Gaara slid his hands, no more than three fingers from each hand, along Naruto's muscular torso. He was firm but not overly built, probably thanks to all the ramen he ate to balance out his hardcore training. He felt hotter than he should under Gaara's fingers, and silently the redhead pondered the possibility of Kyuubi's fire element making Naruto warmer, or if it was just the sheer touch of his own fingers that triggered the extra heat. Either way, it was intriguing.

Continuing across, Gaara smothered Naruto's nipples and quivering, seal-marked belly with his palms. Naruto tilted his head back and leaned into Gaara's touches, as if each innocent one meant more to him than being sprawled comfortably on the barely-wide-enough sofa.

In his mind, Naruto couldn't form a coherent thought in the front of his mind, let alone care if his head was perched a bit oddly over the arm of the couch. All he could think of was how wonderful it felt to have someone caress him this delicately, and the heat that sprouted from it. But, above all, he thought in the back of his mind of how he couldn't picture doing this with anyone else, and that he was a fool for not letting this happen earlier.

Gaara got bored of touching with his hands. He leaned down and started to kiss the line between Naruto's pectorals, which lead him to the dip at the end of the blonde's sternum. Shyly, he flicked out his tongue and tasted Naruto's tender skin there, and found that it was a winning spot.

Naruto moaned lowly in response. His grip in Gaara's hair tightened temporarily, and suddenly he was launched into a state of mind where everything was made of fuzzy blackness, heat, and Gaara-Gaara- "_Gaara_..."

The named teen brought his head up to look at the kitsune. He heard a very unfamiliar tone added to his name just now, and it made a rolling lurch in his gut.

Out of the blue, something dawned on the young Kazekage: if this continued, they would take things too far in the heat of the moment and would regret it later. Well, maybe not entirely regret it, but they would regret not waiting for that sacred thing. And here was Gaara's first clue: there was something growing stiffer under the fabric of Naruto's pants, and under his own robes things weren't much better.

"Naruto," he said, trying to snap the blonde out of it.

"Nnh, don't stop…" the blonde complained. He missed the feel of Gaara's slick tongue on his chest, and Gaara's cool fingers along the burning skin of his ribs. His heart ached slightly, as if it, too, missed the thumping of it's partnering heart beating a breath away from it.

"Naruto," Gaara tried again, his tone sterner as he removed Naruto's hands from his hair and straightened into kneeling position, "I told you I'd stop us if it got too far."

"B-but," the other sighed, "It's not too far yet… just a little bit more…" His hands searched the air blindly for Gaara's body.

Gaara hated cutting Naruto off like this, but the hint of lust in his eyes and voice told Gaara that it was the right thing to do. "Come on, Naruto, let's find your shirt and get it back on you."

Naruto groaned in protest but sat up as Gaara searched the floor for the missing piece of clothing. He found it in a pile under the sofa. He tossed it to Naruto, whom caught it full in the face.

"Humph. Thanks," Naruto said curtly. He was disappointed that their make-out session had abruptly stopped in the middle of a good part. Still, it would be worse; they could be walked in on and had to stop that way.

Reading the kitsune's tell-tale face, Gaara told him, "Don't worry, you'll get a chance again. We have years."

"It doesn't feel like it," Naruto sniffed. He felt like crying again. "It feels like every time I turn around, another person I care about is gone or taken from me. And it feels like I, too, am about to crash and burn. Sometimes I wonder how it is I stay alive, considering all the danger I put myself in constantly."

Gaara bit the inside of his lip. He didn't want to admit how true this was; Hell, he had thought Naruto was dead and in the body bag that came back! "But you have to remember, Naruto," Gaara stated slowly, "That everything happens for a reason. And that some people come back, and some will never be taken."

Naruto's eyes pooled with tears. Half of the reason for this was the topic he accidentally brought up, and the other reason was because of the sea of hormones that washed over him and hadn't left. "But… you were taken… and you almost didn't come back…"

The redhead sat beside Naruto on the couch and watched him slip his shirt back on as an excuse not to look over. Gaara sighed. "I almost didn't, true, but I still did in the end. I'm with you now, am I not? So stop crying," he added gently, "And learn to have some faith. Patience, too. I'm not going anywhere, so you can always visit me."

Gaara sure was speaking a ton, the kitsune noticed. He'll have to remember this moment; it's a rare thing, Gaara verbally comforting someone. He was lucky that it's him that got to be comforted in a rare moment like this.

Naruto smiled a bit. He wrapped his arm around Gaara's shoulder. "You're absolutely right. I needed to hear that." He nuzzled his nose into the crook of Gaara's neck, and like the goosebumps on the pale flesh that rose from his touch. "Thanks." Then, as an afterthought, he added: "I love you. Really, I do."

"I trust you," Gaara whispered in reply. It was his way of saying, 'I believe that it's the truth. I entrust myself to you. I love you, too.'

He also believed Naruto for one major reason: during his turn, he realized that he was the probably – no, definitely – the only person who has ever touched Naruto in that way, and gave him that sort of pleasure. It was an empowering thought, and it filled Gaara with an unexplainably heightening feeling.

When Naruto released him, Gaara cast his eyes to the clock on his desk. It was getting late; it was nearly eight o'clock. "You should return to your hotel room, Naruto."

"Aw, can't I sleep with you~?" Naruto requested playfully as he batted his eyelashes.

Gaara twitched. He disliked that sort of playfulness; it was dripping with innuendo. "No. You know you can't," he told the kitsune with a tight voice.

Naruto pretended to look wounded. "And here I thought I could, 'ttebayo. Damn."

The redhead almost smiled. Almost. "Goodnight, Naruto."

Naruto placed one last kiss on the center of Gaara's forehead, right next to his scar. "Goodnight."

Then he left, even though every last nerve of his body was begging that he stay and hold onto Gaara a while longer.

xXxXx

Half a week passed, but then it was time to move out. Kakashi's team was well enough to travel once more, and Sasuke was getting restless. "Let's get this over with," he had told them the night before their departure. So they had agreed it was time to leave Suna.

Over the handful of days they had left, Naruto and Gaara arranged small, secret times when they could be together. They held an 'infatuated new couple' aura about them, always eager to physically join. Even Gaara, whom Naruto expected would be all that affectionate, actually started half of their secret times. It dawned on Naruto that perhaps this was Gaara's subconscious way of regaining the years of isolation and filling them with everything Naruto could give him. Honestly, Naruto had a similar desire, so it didn't bother him any.

Sakura caught on to their little meetings quickly, and teased Naruto on their way back as both a means of distraction from the larger problem at hand (Sasuke) and because she was genuinely curious.

Before they left, though, Naruto had hugged Gaara tightly and longingly to say farewell without the heart-wrenching words that went with it. Unfortunately, Gaara's siblings had been there to witness this, along with Naruto's teammates. The hug that was obviously too passionate to be friendly stirred some questions from everyone who wasn't already in the loop (like Sakura). The questioning caused both boys to blush, but they admitted what happened. For Gaara's reputation sake, his siblings promised not to leak the information that he was, technically, homosexual. Not that it mattered to him; he only loved Naruto, and not any other man. So, really, he was Narutosexual, but no one of his village would think of it that way.

"We'll keep the secret, too, Naruto," Kakashi promised. He seemed to be smiling, although it was hard to tell with the mask and single eye. But in that single grey eye, Naruto could see a twinkle in it that just had to be a smile.

"Oi, Sakura-chan, why is Kakashi-sensei smiling?"

She giggled. "I think it's because he's happy for you. He's glad that, in your case, a romance between you and your male friend is actually possible."

Naruto nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

Finally, they left the desert, and arrived home after three days. Naruto was happy to be home, yet he missed Gaara terribly. Across the lands, kilometers away, Naruto knew Gaara was missing him.

Now, as for Sasuke, he was taken into custody and kept under a watchful eye. Tsunade decided to announce his return to the village a day after he had come back just so they were aware of both the danger and benefit of having the Uchiha within the gates. Everyone understood, luckily.

"Sometimes, Uzumaki, when you are a leader, you have to make guesses about what the people can and can't handle as far as information goes."

"Why are you telling me this, Tsunade-baachan?"

"Well, I did say you could be Hokage one day, didn't I?"

Naruto merely smiled.

Yes, he'll be Hokage, and Gaara will be Kazekage, and they could arrange meetings between their villages as often as they wanted to since, hey, they_ are_ allies, aren't they?


End file.
